Water Launch.

Ever since pterosaur fossils were discovered more than two centuries ago, paleontologists have wondered how these gawky-looking reptiles launched themselves into the air. Knowing that soft tissues like the pterosaur's can be preserved in the fossil record, Jagielska adds, "is a great reason for scanning other exquisitely preserved fossils with lasers and seeing if they can tell us a different story." Prior research indicates pterosaurs were not strong swimmers, Habib notes - so this fossil's soft tissues "are best interpreted as water-launch adaptations" rather than swimming gear. [Extracted from the article]