| 释义 |
pterosaur Palæont.|ˈtɛrəʊsɔː(r)|
[ad. mod.L. name of order Pterosauria, f. generic name Pterosaurus (L.F.J.F. Fitzinger Systema Reptilium (1843) 15), f. ptero- + Gr. σαῦρ-ος (= σαύρα) lizard.]
A member of the Pterosauria, an extinct order of Mesozoic saurian reptiles, having the fifth digit of each fore-foot prolonged to a great length for the purpose of supporting a membrane for flight.
1862Dana Man. Geol. 346 Pterosaurs..or Flying Saurians. 1882Geikie Text-bk. Geol. vi. iii. iii. §1. 810 According to a recent enumeration made by Mr. Cope..there were known 18 species of deinosaurs, 4 pterosaurs, 14 crocodilians. 1907Proc. Zool. Soc. I. 226 It has been frequently assumed that the Pterosaurs enjoyed a bipedal locomotion. 1926G. Heilmann Orig. Birds iv. 140 The Pterosaurs are of interest chiefly because they are flying reptiles. 1933A. S. Romer Vertebr. Paleont. viii. 176 The brain of the pterosaurs..was exceedingly large for a reptile. 1973J. Updike Museums & Women 196 The iguanodon despised these pterosaurs' pretensions. 1975Times 12 Apr. 12/1 The surprise created in the popular mind by Douglas Lawson's discovery of an immense pterosaur—a beast whose wings spanned about 51 feet according to the most reliable computer estimate—is only paralleled by the bewilderment experienced in scientific circles.
Hence pteroˈsaurian, adj. of the nature of a pterosaur; of or belonging to the order Pterosauria; n. a pterosaur.
1882Geikie Text-bk. Geol. vi. iii. ii. §1. 778 The pterosaurians or flying reptiles..were likewise peculiar to Mesozoic time. 1888Nature 19 Apr. 599/1 The Pterosaurian skull..resembles more the Lacertilian than any other type of Reptile skull. 1981Sci. Amer. Feb. 95/1 The triangle was supported at the wrist by a uniquely pterosaurian innovation, the pteroid bone. |