Pterosaurs were an ancient group of winged reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs Many pterosaurs were very large some as large as a giraffe and with a wingspan of over 12 meters Paleontologists have long wondered whether large pterosaurs were capabl

Essay topics:

Pterosaurs were an ancient group of winged reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs. Many pterosaurs were very large, some as large as a giraffe and with a wingspan of over 12 meters. Paleontologists have long wondered whether large pterosaurs were capable of powered flight (flying by flapping their wings) or whether they were able only to glide. Several arguments have been made against powered flight.
Doubters point out that since modern reptiles are cold-blooded, ancient reptiles such as pterosaurs were probably cold-blooded as well. Cold-blooded animals typically have a slow metabolism and are unable to produce a lot of energy. Powered flight is an activity requiring a lot of energy, which is why all modern vertebrates that fly are warm-blooded, not cold-blooded. It seemed unlikely that pterosaurs would have been able to generate the energy needed to fly.
Second, there is a limit to the weight of animals that can be kept airborne by powered flight. Pterosaurs that were as large as a giraffe were probably so heavy that they would not have been able to flap their wings fast enough to stay aloft for any length of time.
Third, all animals with powered flight are able to take off from the ground. For example, birds take off by jumping from their legs or running to gain speed and then jumping. But these methods would not have worked for large pterosaurs. Large pterosaurs would have needed big, powerful muscles in their back legs to launch themselves into the air, and we know from fossilized bones that their back leg muscles were too small and weak to allow the pterosaurs to run fast enough or jump high enough to launch themselves into the air.

The lecture and the reading are both about pterosaurs. The professor challenges the argument made by the author.

First, although doubters state that pterosaurs are probably cold-blooded since modern reptiles are cold-blooded, there are some studies and evidences show that on the surface of pterosaurs' body there were fur and hair, which are the typical indicators of warm-blooded animals. For the sake of maintaining the body temperature, animals will utilize their fur and hair to keep themselves in a high temperature. Hence, pterosaurs are likely to belongs to warm-blooded reptiles and then they are capable of supply the ample energy to fly.

Second, the professor states that pterosaurs quote a study, which shows that the bone of pterosaurs actually is hollow instead of solid. That is, pterosaurs practically are as heavy as people think and they are able to flap their wings to fly.

Third, regarding the debate whether pterosaurs are able to launch, professor notes that, in general, birds use their two limps to launch. However, pterosaurs can launch with four limps because they walk in his way on the land originally. Therefore, the muscle of the pterosaurs is not a problem since they have twice the limps to support the behavior and process of taking off. Also, the study indicates that pterosaurs are able to fly and take off in the air because the above reason.

To sum up, it is stated that pterosaurs are able to do the powered flight. Professor use some studies to point that pterosaurs are warm-blooded animal, pterosaurs aren't too heavy to flap wings, and pterosaurs can use four limps to take off, all supporting the conclusion that pterosaurs can fly.

Votes
Average: 8 (1 vote)
This essay topic by users
Post date Users Rates Link to Content
2023-09-06 joeyrussell007 73 view
2023-09-05 tststs 80 view
2023-07-17 dxy40747 73 view
2023-03-02 rodrian 80 view
2023-02-13 zaid 75 view
Essay Categories
Essays by user ShawnXUE :

Comments

Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 427, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...in a high temperature. Hence, pterosaurs are likely to belongs to warm-blooded re...
^^
Line 9, column 86, Rule ID: MASS_AGREEMENT[1]
Message: Consider using third-person verb forms for singular and mass nouns: 'uses'.
Suggestion: uses
...ble to do the powered flight. Professor use some studies to point that pterosaurs a...
^^^
Line 9, column 164, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: aren't
...urs are warm-blooded animal, pterosaurs arent too heavy to flap wings, and pterosaurs...
^^^^^

Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, first, hence, however, regarding, second, so, then, therefore, third, in general, to sum up

Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments

Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 18.0 10.4613686534 172% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 9.0 7.30242825607 123% => OK
Relative clauses : 12.0 12.0772626932 99% => OK
Pronoun: 20.0 22.412803532 89% => OK
Preposition: 40.0 30.3222958057 132% => OK
Nominalization: 1.0 5.01324503311 20% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.

Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1412.0 1373.03311258 103% => OK
No of words: 278.0 270.72406181 103% => OK
Chars per words: 5.07913669065 5.08290768461 100% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.08329915638 4.04702891845 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.71411876314 2.5805825403 105% => OK
Unique words: 149.0 145.348785872 103% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.535971223022 0.540411800872 99% => OK
syllable_count: 436.5 419.366225166 104% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK

A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 5.0 8.23620309051 61% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 3.0 2.5761589404 116% => OK

Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 13.0 13.0662251656 99% => OK
Sentence length: 21.0 21.2450331126 99% => OK
Sentence length SD: 59.385113589 49.2860985944 120% => OK
Chars per sentence: 108.615384615 110.228320801 99% => OK
Words per sentence: 21.3846153846 21.698381199 99% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.23076923077 7.06452816374 117% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 3.0 4.19205298013 72% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 4.0 4.33554083885 92% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 4.45695364238 45% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 7.0 4.27373068433 164% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?

Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.226507347291 0.272083759551 83% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0789110036259 0.0996497079465 79% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.051823893429 0.0662205650399 78% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.118953687426 0.162205337803 73% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0615142223232 0.0443174109184 139% => OK

Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 13.2 13.3589403974 99% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 50.16 53.8541721854 93% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.5 11.0289183223 104% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.18 12.2367328918 100% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.09 8.42419426049 96% => OK
difficult_words: 60.0 63.6247240618 94% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.0 10.7273730684 103% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.4 10.498013245 99% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.2008830022 107% => OK
What are above readability scores?

---------------------

Rates: 80.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.0 Out of 30
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.