A new study of extinct flying reptiles

A new study of extinct flying reptiles called kuehneosaurs, has shown that of the of the two genera found in Britain, Kuehneosuchus was a glider while Kuehneosaurus, with much shorter “wings,” was a parachutist. Archaeopteryx is famous as the world’s oldest bird, but reptiles were flying about some 50 million years earlier than that (225 million years ago), even before large dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Koen Stein, who did the work while a student studying for an MSc in palaeobiology at Bristol University, has shown that of the of the two genera found in Britain, Kuehneosuchus was a glider (it has elongate ‘wings’), while Kuehneosaurus, with much shorter ‘wings’, was a parachutist. As the two forms are so alike in other respects, it is possible that they are males and females of the same animal.
“This is a fantastic example of interdisciplinary research,” said Professor Michael Benton, a member of the research team and Head of Department in Bristol. “Palaeontologists are keen to understand how all the amazing animals of the past operated and by collaborating with aerospace engineers we can be sure that model-making and calculations are more realistic.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714192550.htm