Crested beaut. (Letters).While reading that the cranial cranial /cra·ni·al/ (-al) 1. pertaining to the cranium. 2. toward the head end of the body; a synonym of superior in humans and other bipeds. cra·ni·al adj. crest of the pterosaur pterosaur (tĕr`əsôr') [Gr., = winged lizard], extinct flying reptile (commonly called pterodactyl [Gr., = wing finger]) of the order Pterosauria, common in the late Triassic and Cretaceous periods, from approximately 228 to 65 million Thalassodrameus helped regulate body temperature ("Skimming the Surface: Flying reptile may have scooped its meals," SN: 7/20/02, p. 35), I pondered another potential use. While gliding near the water, its crested head might act as a rudder for the large-wingspan animal. Perhaps the crest also included nerves that allowed Thalassodromeus to sense fleeing fish. STEVE M. ADAMS, PLANO, TEXAS Plano (IPA: /ˈpleɪnoʊ/) is a wealthy suburb of Dallas, Texas, located to the north, mainly within Collin County, but also extending into Denton County. According to the 2000 U.S. Perhaps the large crest was for maintaining level flight when catching a fish. Instead of a large fish throwing the flyer over, the crest would absorb this change in momentum. LESLIE PETERSON Leslie Raymond Peterson (born ca. 1924) is a lawyer, politician, and university chancellor in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He served as Attorney General of British Columbia 1968-1972 , PASADENA, CALIF. I was intrigued by Thalassodromeus'swoop-and-scoop feeding style. This is exactly how many shore birds (Zool.) a collective name for the various limicoline birds found on the seashore. See also: Shore of today fish--for example, the black skimmer (Rynchos niger). RAM VASUDEV, PASADENA, CALIF. Black skimmers are the modern birds that the scientists used as a model for the pterosaur's feeding style.--S. PERKINS |
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