Its unfortunate that reptiles don’t fly any more in present era or else it would have been a treat to the eyes.Ancestors of reptiles surely did fly in the past and one name which immediately comes to mind is of Archaeopteryx (animal with characters of both Dinosaurs and Birds)which is known as oldest bird to fly.Reptiles which lived earlier than Archaeopteryx were known to fly in the skies sometime around 250 million years ago,long before this land was dominated by Dinosaurs(which gave rise to modern flying Birds).

In a recent study carried out by scientists from the University of Bristol, England show that extinct reptiles called kuehneosaurs flew using extraordinary extensions of their ribs to form large gliding surfaces on the side of the body.These lateral wings from the first fossil obtained in 1950’s were always considered a flying adaptation but there was no concrete evidence.

Professor Michael Benton and Masters student Koen Stein in collaboration with Department of Aerospace Engineering at Bristol built model of these organism and tested the aerodynamics in wind tunnel.This is a fantastic example of interdisciplinary research where Palaeontologists with some brilliant work by aerospace engineers helped in understanding how ancient animals operated in sky,which was always interested many of us.

Journal reference:

Koen Stein, Colin Palmer, Pamela G. Gill and Michael J. Benton. The aerodynamics of the British Late Triassic Kuehneosauridae. Palaeontology, July 15, 2008

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