The world's real dragons were smarter fliers than even modern birds, say a paleontologist and an aeronautical engineer who have joined forces to uncover the secrets of pterosaur flight.Ranging from the size of a robin to a Lear Jet, pterosaurs not only perfected flight with membranous, bat-like wings, but also the larger lizards had ways of controlling their that flight birds don't possess, said Texas Tech University paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee. Working with aeronautical engineer R.J. Templin, Chatterjee studied 10 groups of pterosaurs preserved in Brazilian fossil beds and applied aerodynamic models usually used to study airplanes and helicopters. "What is really fascinating is that such a huge long and very thin wing — how it was able to fly," said Chatterjee of the membrane wings of the largest pterosaurs. One particular thing pterosaurs had and modern birds lack: a very long fourth finger that supported and controlled the outer wing and left free three smaller inner fingers at the forward crook of the wing.

Those other fingers allowed them to grab and even walk on all fours.The biggest pterosaurs also appear to have had stiffeners in their wings, like battens in a sail. The battens gave the thin wings strength when expanded, but still allowed for folding while on the ground, Chatterjee said.

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