Why Did Pterosaurs Have Head Crests?
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2021
- One of the most recognisable Features of pterosaurs was their huge crest that would have dominated their silhouette on the mesozoic skyline. In particular the incredibly famous backward cone shaped crest of pteranodon. Many theories have been put forward for why these structures existed from the outlandish to the mundane, so what was there purpose?
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Sources:
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It needs to be said that your word choice is great, presenting info in a ‘so far as we understand’ manner as opposed to portraying it as undesputed fact. A very underrated youtube channel for sure.
I agree, what I find fascinating about paleontology is the mystery of it. It’s a puzzle we can never fully put together
@@Adam-tu1qx Same, because it’s as you said, they’re certain things we will never know. It’s kind of depressing when you think about it.
Especially seeing as we're only being shown one reference fossil, remember when they thought Iguanadon had a horn but it turned out to be a thumb? Time machines are the only way to know for sure.
I think it should be pointed out even more, that almost all aesthetics of these creatures were made up.
Absolutely. Some other channels present all sorts of "facts" about triceratops fighting t-rex or something like that but it all seems to be based on speculation or even pure imagination. In contrast this channel is incredibly honest and informative.
"its head resembles seth" - shows an image of ANUBIS
Graphics department: ...err...noooo... it was an... easter?....yes...Easter egg... ... because pterosaurs lay eggs...yes....😳
I definitely had that “wait a minute” moment. Unfortunately, mythology is not Moths specialty XD
Idk I looked up seth and they look pretty much the same
Its a paleontology video not an Egyptian mythology video lol
Got em
A childhood friend of mine once said when playing with my dinosaur figurines that it was the brake to make the pteranodon slow down. Thank you for making this fond memory pop back into my head!
Beefy airbrake implies a need for beefy airbrake lol. Wonder what they'd be using that for?
@@petersmythe6462 I'm just imagining a pteranodon airshow lol.
@@petersmythe6462 the wind along the seaboard can get quite strong. So, if they need to slow down, maybe a large crest serves to create more drag in the air.
@@rpurdy4821 how would it create much drag, when it is parallel to the airflow? seems the wings would be much better for that
@@siyacer they may just turn their heads to create drag, or to change directions when flying - similar to tail feathers on modern birds
The phenomenon with peacocks is called Countersignal evolution. Where a trait becomes exaggerated to the point of detriment as a way to show that even despite the obvious downside, the animal is so fit and strong and a good potential mate, that they can thrive even with that handicap.
And arent Pterosaurs cold blooded like all lizard like species (they're not dinosaurs or lizards but it's the best way to describe it)? How would a crest help them with heat regulation.
@@FaustsKanaal Well, they're archosaurs and their closest cousins are dinosaurs, so birds, but also crocodiles, a little further. So, it's hard to say.
But, as some fossils have hair-like teguments, it's plausible they were warm-blooded ^^
So like Viagra 🤣
The thing I never understood is how the female peahen attraction to bright peacocks started. Wouldn't these have been more likely to die off from predators and in the initial phases their male offspring would not have attracted more mates. So what would the benefit be?
@@64standardtrickyness I don't think peahens are thinking with that much foresight when choosing mates. Also consider birds have evolved better eyesight and can see more colors than most other terrestrial animals, the bright colors on the males make them easy for them to display to females, but may not be to potential predators.
Imagine a Nyctosaurus diving off the shore for fish, then using its crest to sail back to the beach while it floats in the water
I reckon so. 👍
I imagine the same
It does look remarkably like a sailing ship's sail
That idea was never based on much.
@@bkjeong4302 well I just came up with it so forgive me for not having biometrics and a peer reviewed paper to support it
Maybe it's one of those "eyes on the back of your head" things to ward off predators. With forked ones looking like open mouths. Like dots on the back of ears on animals to seem like eyes, or face-like patterns on butterflies wings.
Sometimes it hurts to know there is no way for us to study and observe these animal and, experience their beauty and majesty 😢
But then again there are thousands of species on the verge of extinction today that there is still time to study or preferably save.
We should focus more on animals on verge of extinction 👍
@@bhadwamanish5154 👍
@@bhadwamanish5154 They are not mutually exclusive :) I do understand about priorities though.
@@AlotOfSunInHeaven not the same
Love how you frame the restorations of these animals against a natural environment. It's a small detail, but it really helps to actualize these creatures.
Any days a good day when several of your favorite UA-camrs post a video on the same day that is generally entertaining
i bet vsauce XD
If moving their heads to look around would have obstructed their ability to make their heads function as rudders, what if their eyes had the ability to move independently, like those of a modern day chameleon?
The main problem I see right off the bat is that binocular vision is extremely important while maneuvering in flight. If only one eye is tracking something you need to avoid on one side of your head, you’re not going to have an accurate idea of how far away it is.
@Pouty MacPotatohead
It does indeed, but chameleons do this by moving both their eyes-and head-to focus on their prey, giving them binocular vision for the strike. If the point of putting chameleon eyes on our hypothetical flying animal is so that it doesn’t have to move its head, it lacks binocular vision for anything that’s off to its side.
Would it though as they'd want to turn to catch anything they saw anyway and fly straight at whatever it was or if they wanted to avoid something then they'd just turn their heads in another direction. They'd want to fly straight at or away from whatever it was. If they were hunting or fishing by skimming the water they'd have found it easier staying in a straight line just by keeping their heads directly straight. It would have helped ensured that they flew straight and started the turn as fast as possible when they saw something.
I've heardan hypothesis that ramphorynchoids were outcompeted and disappeared because of the evolution of birds, rather than pterosaurs, because small pterodactyloids disappeared too, leaving only giant ones, wich is often a refuge niche for endangered groups.
Makes sense.
That’s pretty much the hypothesis I’ve come to, myself-or at least that competition from birds was a significant factor-but I feel like calling the larger size of pterodactyloids a refuge niche is underselling it a bit-they excelled there in a way that no other flying animal has ever been able to.
@Mullerornis The Azhdarchidae, the giant pterosaurs known for breaking records of size? ^^'
@@krankarvolund7771 yup, there were still a few azdarchids that were quite small, cat-sized even, living in the same timeline the extremely huge ones did
Also, it has been found in the last years that the other pterosaurian families were still around and kicking till the end of the Cretaceous, albeit seeing reduced diversity no doubt thanks to the rise of the birds
@@LudwigVaanArthans Do you have nouns? Because there's quite a lot of species, I don't want to check them all XD
Once again, do you have any nouns of species or genres? ^^
But even if there were a few survivors, there's still the fact that little pterosaurs were on the decline, when birds were rising, so it was likely just a matter of time. Or it could have subsisted certain pockets of survivors, like marsupials and monotremes survived in Australa, despite being outcompeted everywhere else (except South-America for marsupials, and even there, it's just a little niche).
When it comes to mating displays and their large, impractical size; it's their ability to be successful *despite* their massive handicap that is so impressive to mates. A peacock that is strong and competent enough to create a more dazzling plumage and stay alive is a very desirable mate
I have always loved pterosaurs because of their unique abilities and strange looks. Awesome video! May i suggest the therapsid lineage the Anteosauridae as a topic for perphaps a future video of your's?
INDEED 😄😄😄
my favorite has been always the quetzalcoatlus
@@Rosarian_baron Mine was Sordes pilosus.
"Why Did Pterosaurs Have Head Crests?" It was so they could pick up local radio stations 8-))...
The dimensions of some pterosaurs seem so strange and extraordinary and look more likely to be a rendering of a crypto zoologist’s fever dream than an actual living and breathing creature. The optics alone greatly motivates my curiosity and a wanting to know more. Your help with that endeavor is much appreciated sir 🤓👍
Nothing like a fresh moth light media video to start the weekend, love it
I accidently found your channel out of nowhere and for the first time in a long while, I gotta give the UA-cam Algorithm some creds. Interesting topics, information about animals I've never really cared about and now find more interesting than ever and it really brings out the nerd in me! And as a big plus, your voice is amazing! 10/10 in every aspect! The philosophical questions and themes about evolution, purpose and niches in nature (and modern society) are also a great addition. Suddenly 2 million years doesn't seem that long ago anymore, even though it really is quite a while.
If I learned anything from Revelation Space it's that head crests are essential for the prevention of overheating in hyper-augmented brains.
I've been in and out of the hospital all week. I really needed this. Thank you.
Hope you feel better
What happened? Hope you feel beter btw
Seeing as crest size appears variable within a species, is it possible the crest may have been a seasonal feature like antlers in deer?
Your videos are so good and addictive. I hope more people get to see your awesome channel. NEVER stop doing videos, I love them
I've been waiting on this 😁
I can TELL 🤭
Fascinating. Thanks for making such great videos.
very impressed with how well this was presented.
This channel is wonderful. Entertaining and relaxing. Thank you for the videos.
Favourite channel on the platform, thanks for the great content :)
That's more pterosaur information than I've ever gotten at one sitting before. Nicely done! Cheers.
As always, quality stuff!
this is amazing you read my mind about what topic i love XD
i would love a video about the sauropods
I feel that some Pterosaurs have head crest are the same way that some bird have head crest too
Also this was a great MLM video,also I wish you a good day.
My initial instinct was
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It actually took me a good few seconds to realize you were talking about Mothlight Media and not scams, communism, or gays.
thanks for the video mate
Fascinating video. Truly something that expands ones knowledge. Thank you.
Such a great informative channel
This is a very interesting video! I never thought about this before!
Great video!!!!
Tapajara is the first thing I think about head-crested pterosaurs
Nice video! Thanks a lot!
Hopefully someone else reading this relates to the feeling of clicking on a Moth Light Media thumbnail thinking they’re rewatching a video, only to find that it’s new and was just posted. What a treat! Well that was a fun 8 minutes. Back to rewatching all your videos until the next one comes out.
I just found this channel and I fucking love it, youtube needs more of this
Ooooooh yea!! Love these videos!!!
I love your videos
Seems to be another great one; I always get a bit excited when you upload a new video.
Because they needed to store their toothpaste.
Punderful work
I love your videos and i would love a video on the evolution of urban mesopredators like raccoons possums and skunks!
Interesting video
7:24 I've never seen an elephant rub their eyes this is so cute
Interesting watch
Nyctosaurus, Pterorhynchus and Tupandactylus all have crests that show a striking similarity to boat sails! This may have only helped them a little bit, because of leeway, while in the air, but while in water, with some part of the body, like the beak or the breast bone or the feet acting like a keel, such a sail would have aided the animal in gaining enough forward speed to take off from water.
1:05
I love this reconstruction showing the pteranodon as a sort of sea bird
I always love seeing pterosaurs with crests bigger than pretty much every individual part of their body.
I feel like it helps when on the ground, some predators don't attack when they think you're facing them. It could just be to mimic their beak on the back to deter them. At least the one's that have the crests back there anyways.
And some crests looked impressive from the side as well.
When at sea and in the Southern Ocean watching Albatrosses using the ground effect to glide into the troughs of rolling swell they would dip their heads super quick and back a little after picking up small fish, which makes me believe that Pterosaurs head crest was mainly a counterbalance.
love the work, would love to see you do an evolution of bioluminescence
Cause the Ladies thought it perttee...
Among the crested pterosaurs, my favorites are Tupandactylos, thallassodromeus and tapejara wellnhoferi. Although the crest of the tapejara is very small and bony, I still like it ✌🏾
Awesome work, please do a video on pseudosuchians
Nice video. I've heard of the rudder theory and the idea of crests being used for display. But speaking of the Pteranodons you spoke of with the tiny crests, could those be youngsters? Could they have been born with small crests and as they grew they got longer?
Fascinating! BTW, that pointer on the map is not pointing to Canada.
Hi from Brazil
With Nyctosaurus, my main question isn't about the crest, but the fact it didn't have the three hand fingers I see on every other pterosaur. I wouldn't be surprised if Nyctosaurus touched the ground to lay eggs, raise chicks and absolutely nothing else.
That’s the theory, that they spent most of their lives on the wing, as do some albatross and Swifts. Only landing to nest.
I never realized that but after looking at actual fossils that is true. I really want to know more and wonder if there are other species that gave away the fingers convergantly from Nyctosaurus.
Yeeeessss new video
Quality content. Don't really have anything else to add.
I'm subscribed and have notifications on but I didn't see this upload on my feed :(
0:53 hyper realistic Pterosaur ❤️👍
I love this channel because of the narrator’s soothing tone, no music, decent visuals.
The water_splash.wav effect reminds me of taking a dump tho.
Same
Same.
It's the best way to showcase their aerial superiority.
When it comes to flying, a rudder is not used for turning, but for for stability. Birds accomplish this by twisting their tail feathers. The head crests do make sense as rudders. The different size and shapes can be explained by how maneuverable the pterosaur needs to be. The early pterosaurs had large crests because they could only look forward. Later pterosaurs had a specialized region of the brain that allowed them to turn their heads in many directions without getting dizzy so they could make do with smaller crests
Can you do a video on what happened before the cambrian??
Pre-watching: I always figured it acted like a stabilizer in wind and water. Like on an airplane or on a kayak
hey! I should name my jack russell terrier Thalassy! He fits the name! GREAT VIDEO!
It could be that they used it, besides attraction display, as hearing device and cooling. It could help to locate food source and communicate the messages over long distances with display flights. Hearing could help with escaping predators that are lurking over night.
I might have never gone outside if the internet and your website had been in existence. This is some fascinating information. I’m sure I would have taken another path in life. No regrets .... Just saying ... thank you.
The head sail would help fly against the wind giving a huge benefit and options .
Found this at 3am, i am thankfull
I love these guys and think that the Crest is for balance unlike birds today that have tail feathers I guess? Great video
It has been suggested that pterosaurs may have been able to swim under water, or at least dive into the seas, (at least some of them), to catch fish or other prey. If this were so, might some of the crest shapes help in swimming? Wind tunnel tests have been made, but what about water studies, like those testing submarine designs. Has anyone tried this? I, for one, would be very interested in the results of this study, or studies.
Pterosaurs are some of the most criminally underrepresented prehistoric animals in all of media. Like, they were some surreal creatures. Not simply flying lizards
We need more of these in Jurassic Park!
I want to see Azhdarchid pterosaurs as antagonists. They were top predators in some regions.
Giant dragon-storks hunting people would be scary and appropriate from the JP universe.
Not true at all. They're well represented in film and media.
@@leonardogurney5488 They have been in all the JP films, apart from the first one.
@@JohnyG29 Still, I'd like them in more of Scenes.
I love your channel but please make playlists
It’s where their laser guns were stored . . . Duh.
Btw i love this channel
8:00 "It's an older code, sir, but it checks out."
Remember guys always carry a bola just in case some dude tries picking you up
I think one important aspect is their social structure. As you alluded to with the puffin example, sexual dimorphism is lower in monogamous species since they will have similar access to mates. More gregarious species would need showier crests due to more intraspecific mate competition. But I would assume that the species that did not have similar male/female head crests were either group living and/or males and females were under differential selective forces, thus causing males to have showy crests through sexual or natural selection. Cool video!
Can You Make A Video About Giganotosaurus?
Crests are a hug aerodynamic nightmare, they act as a front rudder which is an incredibly bad idea as turning the head would push the head backward because the airflow would push against the crest. Personally I believe the more elaborate sail-like crests would require the pterasaur to keep there head still while flying at speed and could only use there eye rotation to look around.
These videos are amazing! Its a shame this channel doesn't get the amount of views it deserves. Full of information and without the pointless filler to pad out video length.
Sorry if I'm not making much sense, just incredibly tired and can't sleep right now.
Great video! I’ve never liked the way Pterosaurs are depicted, with their heavy heads sticking far foreword like a flamingo or other modern long necked birds. I’ve often wondered if they curled their necks back so that their heads could rest on top of their bodies, between the wings. I feel this would be more balanced for flight. If this is true, the Pterodactyl type crest could have laid flat along the spine, supporting the head more, and possibly reinforcing the neck for diving into the water. But no doubt what ever it’s original purpose, eventually it became a sexual display.
Long-necked birds such as pelicans or herons can rest their heads on top of their bodies in flight as their necks can be moved in an s-shape; they also have many flexibly articulated vertebrae in their neck (13-25) to aid in this task. Pterosaur necks followed a shallow u-curve, and they had fewer neck vertebrae (7-9), making it less likely that they were able to so. Without cartilage and soft tissues preservation it is difficult to define the situation more precisely.
The crests couldn't be totally dysfunctional in flight, and not when catching prey like fish, for example. A rudder for cruising, perhaps, temperature regulation, and/or managing headwind resistance? The head turn is probably no major issue if you have eyes on both sides.
well by rotating their head to the left or right, kind of a lean, would the be able to affect the flight? like if they were going over 60 miles an hour and tilted their head to the right would it change how fast they could pivot?
Maybe a big vertical wing like the head crests would help in a soaring bank turn, allowing them to roll fully sideways without stalling.
I have a theory. If these animals flew around the seaboard, the wind may be blowing rather fast much of the time. What if these crests acted like a keel on a boat or a dorsal fin on a shark to keep the animal stable in high winds? It might help the animals from accidentally doing a barrel roll while maneuvering though the air.
Airplanes have a high tail for that reason.
Great video
"Specially the crest of pterosaurs
But what was its purpose"
Evolution has used the crest to eventually have a significant meaning in courtship.
The crest wasn't a "rudder" but instead was needed as a built-in balancing stabilizer, to the head and beak while in flight.
Yeah, was waiting for one of these videos. Thank you for posting new video bruh.
You should do a video on the evolution of cicadas since the 17 year cicadas are hatching all over the east coast of North America
5:15 My Favourite ❤️
Great video! So some think pterosaurs used their crests for heat regulation ... but aren't they reptiles? I thought only warm-blooded animals need heat regulation?
Reptiles rely on the sun to warm them up, so if pterosaurs were cold blooded a crest could have been a huge help getting them going in the morning. Wouldn't explain why the females lack them, unless the females had a different lifestyle.
Who said that they weren't warm-blooded? They also have fur, that is common in warm-blooded animals.
Most paleontologist believe, based on various kinds of fossil evidence, that pterosaurs were warm blooded.
Maybe your next video you should do is the paleobiota of the Kapairowits Formation in Utah that dated back around 76 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage) and contained dinosaurs like Kosmoceratops, Nasutoceratops, Utahceratops, Akainacephalus, Teratophoneus, Talos, Parasaurolophus, and Gryposaurus
One possiblity could be that if snapping at something in mid air was commonplace, the crest might've functiond as a way to quickly whip their head and neck around using aerodynamic forces.
I don't completely like this explanation though. Particularly seeing as raptorial adaptations are otherwise not evident.
Perhaps in aquatic species, they could've used this sail as, well, a sail, allowing some form of unpowered locomotion while floating on water. Again I'm not entirely sure this would make much sense.
Can you please do a video on the evolution of crustaceans
Seems like it could serve as an air-diving keel, to make rapid descent more accurate and maybe even allow for direct impact into soft earth and sand when preying on digging creatures.