TPO 47

The reading and the lecture are both about whether Pterosaurs were capable of fly. The article's author proposes that Pterosaurs could not have flown due to three main reasons. The lecturer, conversely, disputes the assertions made in the article. Her position is that Pterosaurs may be capable of flying.

Firstly, the article mentions that since Pterosaurs were cold-blooded animals and had a slow metabolism, it was impossible for them to produce the required amount of energy needed for the flight. This specific argument is challenged by the lecturer. The professor claims that based on some founded fossil records, pterosaurs had dense hair, which was akin to fur. Since warm-blooded animals need to keep their bodies warm during cold conditions, having fur is one of the significant signs that Pterosaurs were warm-blooded animals. Regarding this fact, they were able to provide the energy needed to fly.

Secondly, the author argues that Ptesoraus was heavy-weight animals, and it was impossible for them to fly fast enough to make an airborne fly. This is because this kind of special fly has some weight limitation. The lecturer, however, asserts that Ptesoraus skeleton was light in mass. Since their skeleton was hollow than solid, they had low weight despite their large body. Due to the mentioned reason, Ptesoraus was able to make airborne fly because of its light-weight.

Finally, the reading passage contents that since animals that make airborne fly have the ability to lift themselves from the ground, it was impossible for Ptesoraus to make such take off. Those animals needed powerful muscules to make them capable of that kind of fly. In contrast, the lecturer's stance is the opposite. She notes that animals that take off to fly, such as birds, have two limbs. On the other hand, Ptesoraus instead had four limbs, which made the flight possible. So in this regard, it was possible for Ptesoraus to take off using all four limbs to push the ground.