1/10/2024 0 Comments Longest wingspanWith a wingspan up to 24 feet wide, Pelagornis sandersi dwarfs two of the largest living birds, the California Condor (left) and the Royal Albatross (right). sandersi may have been capable of powered flight in the right circumstances, including a standing takeoff. Although gliding was likely its primary means of travel, P. Due to skeletal features such as extremely long wings in relation to its body size, the models suggest the mega-bird was a fast, efficient glider that could have flown up to 17 meters per second. ![]() Using a program that models both flapping (powered) and gliding flight, researchers reconstructed P. As a bird's size increases, even with its greater wingspan, the power needed to fly grows faster than the power it can generate for flight. sandersi 's massive size challenges ideas about powered flight. In a paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers theorize the bird flew long oceanic distances in search of prey, similar to today's albatrosses. Its size exceeds some estimates for the limits of powered flight, though computer models based on the well-preserved skeleton suggest the animal was an excellent glider. sandersi for the first time say the bird had a wingspan of up to 24 feet, qualifying it as the largest flying bird ever to take to Earth's skies. Researchers describing fossil remains of P. Courtesy Liz Bradford With a wingspan double that of today's largest flyers, Pelagornis sandersi was truly the Big Bird of its day. ![]() Pelagornis sandersi has replaced Argentavis as the largest flying bird known.
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