The Cretaceous Era Airplane
Above: A reconstruction of the Quetzalcoatlus skeleton. This animal stood about as tall as a giraffe!
Perhaps you've heard of the massive pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus. Named after the Aztec god of the winds, this enormous animal stood over 18 feet tall with a wingspan of up to 36 feet. That easily makes it the largest flying creature we know of. What we didn't know, was how it managed to take off.
Since its discovery, the hollow bones and wing structures were clear evidence that Quetzalcoatlus could fly, but the exact details were fuzzy. It's hollow skeleton made it difficult to study, as paleontologists more often found chips of fragile bone rather than complete specimens. However, a new team that included an aerospace engineer have recently come forward with a reconstruction of the animal that suggests how it was able to life its massive body off the ground.
This study explains that the Quetzalcoatlus would crouch its body before taking off in a leap that brought it eight feet off the ground, giving it time to extend its massive wings and continue propelling itself upward. Just the thought of such a creature taking flight is breathtaking.
Perhaps you've heard of the massive pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus. Named after the Aztec god of the winds, this enormous animal stood over 18 feet tall with a wingspan of up to 36 feet. That easily makes it the largest flying creature we know of. What we didn't know, was how it managed to take off.
Since its discovery, the hollow bones and wing structures were clear evidence that Quetzalcoatlus could fly, but the exact details were fuzzy. It's hollow skeleton made it difficult to study, as paleontologists more often found chips of fragile bone rather than complete specimens. However, a new team that included an aerospace engineer have recently come forward with a reconstruction of the animal that suggests how it was able to life its massive body off the ground.
This study explains that the Quetzalcoatlus would crouch its body before taking off in a leap that brought it eight feet off the ground, giving it time to extend its massive wings and continue propelling itself upward. Just the thought of such a creature taking flight is breathtaking.
🎸 Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
Beatles Brick Fragment - The Cavern Club
Before The Beatles played for millions of viewers on The Ed Sullivan Show, the Lads from Liverpool put in thousands of hours in clubs and lounges across the UK, Germany, Sweden, and France. Yet few venues can be so closely associated with the earliest days of the Beatles as the original Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.
($26.10 USD)
Cool Things!
The Mysterious Origin of the St. Mark's Square Lion!
Keeping a watchful eye over what Napoleon knew as “the drawing room of Europe,” the winged lion of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy, is a majestic sight. The origin of this iconic statue has been cloaked in mystery, but in September of 2024, a group of chemists, archaeologists, geologists, and art historians shed more light on this sculpture’s story.
The Hun Family Tree
"Attila and his Hordes Overrun Italy and the Arts" by Eugène Delacroix (1843-1847)
Post Author - ...
NASA's Telescope Spots a Nebula That Looks Like a Hamburger!
HH 30, the hamburger nebula
Post Author - Ellis Nolan
They say art imitates life, but this month,...
Specimen Deep Dives
Returning to the Moon: The Apollo 14 Mission
In the wake of the disastrous Apollo 13, the revolutionary space program that had landed humans o...
The Secrets of the Space Shuttle: Learn about Mini Museum's Shuttle Tile Material!
Want to learn more about our mission-flown Space Shuttle Columbia HRSI tile? This specimen was re...
Gondwana: When the Earth Was One
Gondwana, also known as Gondwanaland, was an ancient supercontinent which first formed 800,000,00...
Long Form Articles
From the Cavern Club to Apple Corps: The Rise & Fall of the Beatles
The Beatles, arguably the world’s most popular band, have a storied history spanning decades. From the Cavern Club, to the Ed Sullivan Show, to the rooftop of Apple Corps, their musical journey is the stuff of legend.
Amelia Earhart & The Women Who Soared
When Amelia Earhart touched down in Northern Ireland in 1932, she was instantly propelled to ...
How the Dinosaurs Got their Feathers
66 million years ago, the K/PG extinction event brought the Age of Dinosaurs to a violent end. Ho...