It requires more 'brains' to control an unstable craft than it does a stable one. And the same principle applies to pterosaurs, birds and bats. Early birds, bats, pterosaurs and insects were all more stable, with tails or (insects) long abdomens. This helped the flying animal to keep on track, which is what we mean by 'stable'.
All species in the group have teeth. The group died out at the end of the Jurassic, which suffered a minor extinction event.
This classification is simple, but unfortunately it is paraphyletic, because the two suborders are not sister groups. But there is not enough evidence to see which earlier group the pterodactyloids arose from. So this is the best we can do:
Zhejiangopterus
Zhejiangopterus is a pterosaur that was found in China. It lived in the late Cretaceous.
At least six specimens of adults have been found. "Zhejiangopterus" was a moderately large pterosaur. Its wingspan was first estimated at five metres (16.4 feet). Later estimates reduced this to about 3.5 metres (11 feet).
Its skull was long, low, perfectly arched, and lacked a "keel" or any other crest sometimes seen in related species. The beak was long, thin, sharply pointed, and lacked teeth. The cervical vertebrae were elongated. The first six dorsal vertebrae had fused together. This helped the chest keep stable against the forces generated by the wings.
Several pairs of belly ribs were preserved. Its upper leg bone was half the size of its upper arm bone, and strong and thin. The wings were short but robust
Tupuxuara
Tupuxuara was a pterosaur that lived 112 million years ago. It was found in the Santana Formation, the remains of an inland sea.
Some species were quite small, but the largest skull (length 130 cms) suggests a wingspan of 5.5 metres. It was an Azdarchid pterosaur, the same group as "Quetzalcoatlus".
Anurognathus
Anurognathus was a genus of small rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs which lived 150 million years ago, in the Upper Jurassic period. It had a short head with pin-like teeth for catching insects. It was found in the Solnhofen limestone, the same place as "Archaeopteryx". They grew up to 35 cms wingspan.
Although it is in the long-tailed pterosaur group Rhamphorhynchoidea, its tail was comparatively short. This was an adaptation which made it more manoeuvrable in hunting. According to Döderlein the reduced tail of "Anurognathus" was similar to the pygostyle of modern birds.
With an estimated wingspan of fifty centimetres (20 inches) and a nine centimetre long body (skull included), its weight was limited: forty grammes for a specimen with a 35 centimetre wingspan.
Later a second, smaller, specimen was found, probably of a subadult individual. Its slab and counterslab are separated and both were sold to private collections. This second fossil is more complete and better articulated. It shows impressions of a large part of the flight membrane and under UV-light remains of the muscles of the thigh and arm become visible. It provided new information on many points of the anatomy. The skull was shown to have been very short and broad, wider than long.
Thirty-Nine Articles
The Thirty-Nine Articles are the historic statements of Anglican beliefs. The Articles were not meant to be a complete statement of the Christian faith. They are a statement of the position of the Church of England against the Roman Catholic Church and against Protestants.
The articles were made in 1563, under the direction of Archbishop Matthew Parker, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They are based on the Forty-Two Articles written under the direction of Thomas Cranmer in 1552 and passed under Edward VI of England in 1553. They are printed in the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican prayer books. Priests, deacons, and bishops of the Church of England have to take an oath that what is said in the Articles is "agreeable to the Word of God." Other Anglican churches do not make such a requirement.
The Thirty-Nine Articles were needed because at that time in English history it was not possible to find an agreement about Protestantism. Rather than have the church become divided, they needed a way to list the essentials of what the Church of England believed. John Henry Newman (one of the leading Tractarians in the mid 19th century), before he converted to Roman Catholicism, tried to show that the Articles could be seen in a way less hostile to Catholic belief.
Outside the Church of England, Anglican opinions of the Thirty-Nine Articles vary. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America sees them as an historical document but does not make its members follow them. Anglican priest John Wesley changed the Thirty-Nine Articles for use by American Methodists in the 18th century. These new Articles of Religion are still the official United Methodist Church doctrine.
Teal
Teal can mean many things, such as:
Ojiya, Niigata
Ojiya (Japanese: 小千谷（おぢや）市;-shi) is a city in Niigata, Japan. As of July 16, 2003, 40,342 people lived in the city. Ojiya's total area is . The Lord Mayor of Ojiya is Yasuo Yatsui
An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck Ojiya on October 23, 2004 at 17:56 local time. The earthquake killed 51 people. 4,795 people were injured. 16,910 buildings and houses were destroyed. The amount of damage was 3,000,000,000 Yen ($32.5M US).
Ojiya has many types of industry. Electronics companies Sanyo electric and Panasonic are located in the city. It also has textile companies. The main agricultural crop in the city is rice. Ojiya is the largest miner of natural gas in Japan.
There are several festival each year in Ojiya.
Tantalus
Tantalus was a mortal king in Greek mythology. He did many bad things against the gods and goddesses. At a banquet, he tried to feed people the flesh of his son Pelops. He had asked the gods and goddesses to come to this banquet. When they learn what he had planned, they punished Tantalus in not only this world (the world of the living), but the next as well (the world of the dead). Tantalus's punishment while he was alive was the ruin of his kingdom. His punishment when dead in the Tartaros of the Underworld was much worse.
He was made to stand in a pool of water up to his chin for all time. During this, he would always be hungry and . Each time Tantalus lowered his head to drink the water he was standing in, the water would lower. Over his head hung branches of trees filled with fruit. When he would try to get them, wind would blow them out of his reach. He was "tantalized" with food and drink. This is where the word tantalize comes from.
His daughter is Niobe. And his son, Pelops, was made alive again by the gods. He went to Greece and became the ruler of the peninsula which still has his name, the Peloponesus.
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior", is a Japanese code of conduct and a way of life, more or less similar to the European code of chivalry. It comes from the samurai moral code and gives great importance to certain virtues like frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery and honour until voluntary death, seppuku. Bushidō was created between the 11th to 14th centuries and took form as a code from the 12th to 16th centuries.
Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, Bushidō became official Japanese Feudal Law.
Honor codes are still used in modern times; for example, as part of the kamikaze beliefs...
Campaign
Campaign is trying to do something. Some battles in wars are called campaigns. The word comes from "Campania", a region where the ancient Roman army often fought.
When someone in politics seeks election to a political office, that is called a "political campaign". Sometimes, a series of advertisements can be referred to as an "advertising campaign". A "blood drive", when the Red Cross or a hospital asks people to give blood, is also a campaign.
A campaign usually involves groups of people following a plan and working together in different ways to get what they want.
Manco Cápac