Preview
Description
New forms of life launch into the air, occupying previously untapped habitats. Although birds, bats, and insects are aeronautical experts, no Earth organism is known to spend its entire life in the air.
Coelurosauravus jaekeli, one of the first known reptiles to take to the air, has a "totally bizarre" wing design. With membranes connected to hollow-rod skin structures, the fossil lizard's wings more resemble hang-gliding gear than the transformed forearms with which birds and bats keep themselves aloft. Based on a 1997 find, paleontologists suspect that the hang-gliding habit allowed the lizard to sail following a running or falling start.
Date Created
1997
Holding Institution
University of Montana--Missoula. Environmental Studies Program
Rights Statement
Rights Holder
© 1997 Stiftung Drittes Millennium
Item Type
Exhibit
Digital File Format
image/jpeg
Media Type
Text; Image
Digital Image Number
69_wtt_file04_60-79.jpg
Recommended Citation
Liebes, Sid; Mittelstadt, Laurie; Waugh, Barbara; and Brynes, Lois, "Panel 69: Leaping Lizards" (1997). A Walk Through Time - From Stardust To Us. 69.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/awalkthroughtime/69