Smart-winged pterosaurs

摘要

Brains, not surprisingly, are rarely fossilized, leaving a large gap in our knowledge of the anatomy of most extinct organisms. Fortunately, in some vertebrates ― mammals, birds, dinosaurs and pterosaurs ― the brain fits so tightly into the braincase that its external features are faithfully reflected by the contours of the inner surface of the bones that enclose it. Unfortunately, opportunities to recover these data from fossil material are infrequent and often involve destructive techniques, thereby excluding many valuable specimens from consideration.