Breathing in a box: Constraints on lung ventilation in giant pterosaurs

We present an alternative hypothesis to recent suggestions of an avian‐like mechanism of costosternal pumping as the primary means of aspiration. An analysis of the joints among the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, and pectoral girdle of large pterosaurs indicates limited mobility of the ribcage and sternum. Comparisons with modes of lung ventilation in extant amniotes suggests that the stiffened thorax, coupled with mobile gastralia and prepubic bones, may be most consistent with an extracostal mechanism for lung ventilation in large pterodactyloids, perhaps similar to a crocodile‐like visceral displacement system Anat Rec, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Source: The Anatomical Record Part B: The New Anatomist - Category: Anatomy Authors: Tags: Full Length Article Source Type: research