Well I’m still short of posts in general, but Bruce Mohn kindly sent over some images of his Rhamphorhynchus models to put up here. You can see them in a few museums (apparently, since I don’t know which) and even buy them (brucemohn AT aol.com). Bruce works in part for Dino Art too where you can see lots more nice dinosaur related things. More posts to come I hope – still rather suffering from writer’s block, plus the AAB relaunch is understandably taking up time.
Every bone is wonderful in Bruce’s art. I wonder about the pose. In particular I wonder why:
1. the free fingers don’t point laterally.
2. the elbows are not directed posterolaterally.
3. the wing fingers are not tucked in against the antebrachia
4. the feet are not planted closer to the centerline with ankles below the pelvis
5. the proximal caudals are not curved up so that the tail tip is raised away from the substrate
6. the prepubes are not directed more ventrally in line with the pubis and its right angle butt joint
All these changes will elevate the torso so that the shoulder glenoid will be above the anterior toes, enabling this pterosaur to lift its wings at any moment while remaining balanced. To illustrate, a similar pose, but in a Dorygnathus skeleton, will be emailed directly. Side by side they should make a fine comparison and will permit others to make comment on the two competing poses.
I note that Bruce also gives Rhamphorhynchus a digitigrade pes with digit V neatly tucked, which appears to be nicely done! He also aligns the femur with the prepubis, which is the way I would do it, too.
The work is excellent in every other respect. This is someone I would like to meet someday.
“To illustrate, a similar pose, but in a Dorygnathus skeleton, will be emailed directly.”
Well don’t. Not me me anyway. I have asked you repeatedly not to contact me, and indeed not to post comments on here. The internet is a staggeringly big place, I’m sure you an find somewhere that is a home for your comments, but this is my bit of it and I would much prefer if if you did not post here.
And the very short answer to all your points is that that model is flexible at the joints so can be put in a number of positions. In any case, joints have a large range of motion, that does not make them a habitual position. Sure the wing was likely tucked in close to the body at rest, but it moved through a plane that includes the position it’s shown in here. Nothing wrong with it.
It’s a good model, not perfect, I disagree with aspects of it. But that’s true of pretty much every model ever made of any pterosaur.
Now please, leave this site alone.
Oh, it would be so wonderful to have a “puppet” pterosaur skeleton to pose and draw.
David Hone: Sorry, I apparently neglected to tell you where this skeleton and the next in the series are or will be on exhibit. The pictured skeleton is on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA and the second skeleton will be on exhibit and/or in the teaching collections of the Texas Tech museum.
David Peters: You’ve already met me. Some of the issues with the skeleton can perhaps be explained by the fact that it was made to be mounted vertically on a tree trunk and that the photo was taken before the model was shipped to PA and so was in pieces and just tacked together, which makes some of the articulations unnatural.
Just a further line,I had definite views about how the skeleton was to be mounted. Carnegie also had definite views and since they were the client, I bowed to their wishes. Much of the skeleton exists as individual bones, so it can be mounted in any position that the real animal could have assumed or in any position that the buyer wants (as long as it isn’t too contorted.
Sorry about the confusion Bruce, I was a bit tied up with AAB and this was done in a rush. Apologies.