ImagingGeek,
Your response concerning pterosaur's ability to fly is not clear. Your Berkeley.edu link states that:
"The most derived pterosaurs, such as Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus, were so large that soaring was the only feasible option; these were the largest flyers ever known to cast a shadow on the Earth's surface."
Do you agree with the above statement?
Laze
It is unquestionable that most pterosaur species could fly (as in take off under their own power, AND power their own flight).
Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus are controversial due to their huge size. Biomechanical/aerodynamic analysis of Quetzalcoatlus
has been done, and that analysis has shown that it could take off under its own power - in fact, a working model of it has been built and flown, leaving little doubt about its ability to fly. AFAIK, Pteranodon has not undergone this kind of analysis, and whether it could fly, or simply soar, remains unknown. That said, it has a similar wing loading and wing shape to various sea birds, suggesting that it may be able to fly under its own power - although that comes along with all the caveat that Pteranodon's are not birds, nor birds ancestors, so such comparisons are fraught with problems.
Bryan
