Massive flying creatures with necks longer than giraffes roamed present-day Morocco some 100 million years ago. With its huge jaw and slender neck, this type of pterosaur is thought to have preyed on fish, tiny animals, and even young dinosaurs. But it has long been a mystery as to how they carry their victims without having their necks shatter. The bones within have a complex spoke-like structure, which made them strong and sturdy but light enough for flight, according to a recent study.

Some of the largest flying creatures ever to have existed were the Azhdarchid pterosaurs from Morocco, which were named after a dragon-like creature from Persian mythology. With necks up to 1.5 meters long and wingspans up to 8 meters, experts have always pondered how these creatures managed to hunt, walk, and fly with such strange bodies. Nizar Ibrahim, a paleontologist and anatomist at the University of Portsmouth and a co-author of the study, argues that with size come a variety of complex biological issues. "How do you create a giant flyer's skeleton?"

A roughly 100 million-year-old azhdarchid pterosaur vertebra that had been discovered in the Kem Kem beds, a fossil-rich area close to the border of Morocco and Algeria, was analyzed by experts to understand more about their bones. The scientists discovered the vertebra was packed with dozens of 1-millimeter-thick spikes, known as trabeculae, that crossed each other and formed a helix along the bone using x-ray computed tomography and 3D modeling.

Where the animal's spinal cord would have been, a central tube was encircled by the spokes. When Cariad Williams, a paleontologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, first examined the scans, "we just could not believe it," she says. "Never before have we seen anything like it. Really, it was astounding.

The researchers used mathematical modeling to determine if the spokes gave the bones additional support. They discovered that as few as 50 trabeculae nearly increased the vertebra's capacity to support weight. Their findings were published in today's issue of iScience. Additionally, according to the researchers' calculations, the specimen's neck could lift prey the size of a large turkey, weighing between 9 and 11 kilos. Ibrahim describes it as "a true feat of biological engineering."

The scientists point out that in addition to helping the pterosaurs catch and carry their prey, the complicated bone structure of their necks may have given them the strength to endure the forceful blows delivered by other males during fights for territory or the powerful winds that buffeted their massive skulls when flying.

According to paleontologist Rodrigo Pêgas of the Federal University of ABC, So Bernardo, many scientists have hypothesized that azhdarchid pterosaurs consumed huge prey, but this study is the first to validate that theory using data on internal bone structure. According to Pêgas, the study the team utilized to demonstrate how the vertebrae would react to outside forces was especially strong. It's intriguing that they were able to objectively show that the animal could lift such prey.

To determine whether the spokelike bones were specific to the azhdarchids, Pêgas wishes the scientists had studied the vertebrae of other pterosaurs. Paleontologist and head of the National Museum at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Alexander Kellner concurs. "I'm not very impressed," he admits. "I believe you need more samples to make a valid claim," I said. In his investigation, he claims to have found pterosaur vertebrae with varying numbers of trabeculae. The team's next task, according to Williams, is to scan more vertebrae.

Finding the appropriate vertebrae could be challenging, though Ibrahim notes that the vertebra in the current study is extremely well preserved. Fossilized pterosaur bones that retain their 3D structure are uncommon. However, there are a number of locations that the researchers are looking into in case they come across well-preserved pterosaur vertebrae. We'll try after the pandemic is finished, he says.

Despite all that the latest study has shown, Ibrahim feels there is still much to discover. He claims that because no other living thing comparable to these flying reptiles, many essential features of azhdarchid biology, like their typical weight, are still unknown. "This paper serves to serve as a reminder that we're really just scratching the surface."