Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Crest with Membrane Attachment on Cretaceous Pterodactyloid Nyctosaurus

The Nyctosaurus specimen KJ1 was reconstructed under the hypothesis that there is a membrane attached to the crest; the so‐called headsail crest. The aerodynamic forces and moment acting on the headsail crest were analyzed. It was shown that KJ1 might adjust the angle of the headsail crest relative to the air current as one way to generate thrust (one of the aerodynamic forces, used to overcome body drag in forward flight) and that the magnitude of the thrust and moment could vary with the gesture angle and the relative location between the aerodynamic center of the headsail crest and body's center of gravity. Three scenarios were tested for comparison: the crest with membrane attachment, the crest without membrane attachment and the absence of a cranial crest. It was shown that the aerodynamic characteristics (increasing, maintaining and decreasing thrusts and moment) would have almost disappear in flight for the crest without membrane attachment and was non‐existent without the cranial crest. It is suggested from aerodynamics evidence alone that Nyctosaurus specimen KJ1 had a membrane attached to the crest and used this reconstructed form for auxiliary flight control.