TPO 47

The reading and lecture both discuss pterosaurs, an ancient group of winged reptiles that live alongside the dinosaurs. While the reading argues that several arguments have been made against pterosaurs' powered flight, the professor disputes the claims presented in the article. Her position is that pterosaurs are capable of powered flight.

According to the reading, since pterosaurs are probably cold-blooded animals which have slow metabolism, they might not be able to produce a lot of energy for flight. By contrast, the lecture retorts that the reading's idea is not sustainable. Pterosaurs, in fact, have dense and hair-like cover which is similar to warm-blooded animals. In this case, if the feature of pterosaurs indicates that they are actually warm-blooded animals, their metabolism system is capable of producing energy for their powered flight.

Moreover, the reading declares that pterosaurs are too heavy to keep airborne. The professor, however, asserts that pterosaurs are unusually light. To be more specific, pterosaurs’' hollow bones instead of solid bone make sure that they have a low weight. Without any doubt, their low weight facilitates them to keep airborne by flapping their wings.

Ultimately, the passage insists that unlike birds, pterosaurs could not take off from the ground due to their small and weak back leg muscles. Nonetheless, the professor contends that there are differences between birds and pterosaurs. Birds use two legs to walk on the ground, but pterosaurs use four limbs to walk. They are just like bats which also use four limbs to push themselves off the ground. As a result, pterosaurs have no trouble run fast and jump high enough for taking off from the ground.