Did Pterosaurs Survive Extinction?

Dozens of eyewitness accounts and a few intriguing photographs suggest that this flying monster, thought to have died with the dinosaurs, might still exist.

They were the largest creatures to ever attain flight. With wingspans reaching nearly 40 feet, pterosaurs ruled the prehistoric skies for over 100 million years, until they died out with the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.

Or did they?

There have been many modern-day sightings of creatures that by eyewitness description sound like pterosaurs. There are also intriguing rock carvings and even photographs that suggest that this species of amazing flying monsters could have survived extinction

paranormal.about.com...://www.rae.org/egscphrv.html

Whats your thoughts on this Guys??
Do you belive these flying animals could still excist?
Is it really possible they could of survived thousands of years, and only be seen through peoples sightings?
















[Edited on 6-1-2004 by asala]

I think they can exist in deep remote area where man has never been or few men. As it open land why wouldnt we hear more about it?

Any links to these photographs of them?

I have several pictures of alleged pterosaurs on my other computer, but I have always assumed they must be fakes. There is a pretty famous one that shows men in 1800 circa dress or uniforms standing around one. I will look around and see if I can dig some up.

paranormal.about.com...

A few photos on here, but not that great really

ill try and find some more credible ones!

edited to correct picture

[Edited on 1-6-2004 by William One Sac]

Yes, those are the pics I was speaking of.

They are all fake, and I can tell you why.

Pterosaurs would not look as they did before. 65 million years have past. They would have evolved into a different form. Maybe resembling their old forms, but not exact matched.

Originally posted by Esoterica
They are all fake, and I can tell you why.

Pterosaurs would not look as they did before. 65 million years have past. They would have evolved into a different form. Maybe resembling their old forms, but not exact matched.

There's one major flaw with that arguement...Crocs...

Originally posted by junglejake

Originally posted by Esoterica
They are all fake, and I can tell you why.

Pterosaurs would not look as they did before. 65 million years have past. They would have evolved into a different form. Maybe resembling their old forms, but not exact matched.

There's one major flaw with that arguement...Crocs...

That's because crocs hit the best form they could very early, like sharks. However, crocs are the exception, not the rule. A pterosaur would have had to change because it's habitat would have changed. If pteroaurs survived, we'd have been seeing them flying around coasts and such. The fact that they are not there means they changed their behavior, and therefore their biology. Crocs lived in swamps back then, and they live there now.

Originally posted by Esoterica
That's because crocs hit the best form they could very early, like sharks. However, crocs are the exception, not the rule. A pterosaur would have had to change because it's habitat would have changed. If pteroaurs survived, we'd have been seeing them flying around coasts and such. The fact that they are not there means they changed their behavior, and therefore their biology. Crocs lived in swamps back then, and they live there now.

Ahh, good point. Hadn't thought of that...

I'm not saying pteosaurs haven't survived, I'm just saying they won't be pterosaurs anymore

Originally posted by Esoterica

Originally posted by junglejake

Originally posted by Esoterica
They are all fake, and I can tell you why.

Pterosaurs would not look as they did before. 65 million years have past. They would have evolved into a different form. Maybe resembling their old forms, but not exact matched.

There's one major flaw with that arguement...Crocs...

That's because crocs hit the best form they could very early, like sharks. However, crocs are the exception, not the rule. A pterosaur would have had to change because it's habitat would have changed. If pteroaurs survived, we'd have been seeing them flying around coasts and such. The fact that they are not there means they changed their behavior, and therefore their biology. Crocs lived in swamps back then, and they live there now.

How is it that you are so knowledgeable in the field of pterosaur evolution? How do you know that they had to evolve simply because the environment changed? There is still air to breath and fly through and small critters to catch and eat. How can you say for certain what they did look like 65 million years ago? The fact that so many sightings are made along with the fine pictures tells me they could be flying around still. Crocs are not the only living fossils.

How is it that you are so knowledgeable in the field of pterosaur evolution? How do you know that they had to evolve simply because the environment changed? There is still air to breath and fly through and small critters to catch and eat. How can you say for certain what they did look like 65 million years ago? The fact that so many sightings are made along with the fine pictures tells me they could be flying around still. Crocs are not the only living fossils.

We have fossils, that's how I know what they looked like. And I knwo they would have evolved because EVERYTHING evolves. Sharks and Crocs evolve, just more slowly because they hit 'the sweet spot' earlier. Pterosaurs were still evolving when they died out. Sicne their usual hangs are empty of them, that means that if they're here, they're in a different habitat. New habitat= evolution to survive in that habitat.
The US desert or Appalachian mountains are nothing like where ptaradons lived, so one shouldn't be found there. Unless they evolved to survive there, which means they wouldn't have looked as they did.

Originally posted by Esoterica

Originally posted by junglejake

Originally posted by Esoterica
They are all fake, and I can tell you why.

Pterosaurs would not look as they did before. 65 million years have past. They would have evolved into a different form. Maybe resembling their old forms, but not exact matched.

There's one major flaw with that arguement...Crocs...

Ah yes, but even crocs reduced their size considerably... there is evidence to show large 30-40 foot crocs lived in africa and possibly even australia untill up to 40 000 years ago... now the largest crocs around barely push 20 foot. The same goes with sharks and most other creatures that have survived since the age of dinosaurs... the had to reduce their size to survive in a world where size was becoming ever lesss important... so if any pterasaurs survived they would be quite small (they'd have to be if we hadnt noticed them) compared to their pre-historic ancestors thats assuming they didnt evolve inot birds as well.

I HEAR NOT YE NAYSAYERS!! I want to believe and you have not made an acceptable effort to stop me.


FLYING REPTOID

That looks like a pelican or something with umbrella halves on it.

I think it might have survived, i'll beleive it untill it has been disproved, if it has survived all this time, then I'm not surprised that not many people have seen it as it should be pretty good at not being found by now.

The religion of science has told us that evolution is fact. I don't see this as any different than the religion of the Bible. Both rely on faith. For some reason we question the Bible but we take scientific THEORY as fact. Evolution is still a theory, Theology is still a theory, neither can say E=MC2. Saying this, if evolution doesn't fly, forget the pun, why would a dianasaur look different than it did before?

Actually Have you ever heard of the sealacanth? It is a prehstoric fish thought to have died 65 million years ago, the same as Pterosaurs. But the sealacanth is alive and well today and hasn't changed at all. Now your going to say "yay but its just like crocs." but actually no the water has changed and the food has changed to, but the sealacanth hasn't.