Last Updated: How The World's Largest Flying Animals Supported Their Giant Necks? Scientists Reveal A recent study published in Science Direct talks about Azhdarchid pterosaurs, which were the world's largest flying reptiles and remained poorly understood. Twitter/Fatal3rror A recent study published in the journal Science Direct talks about Azhdarchid pterosaurs, which were the world's largest flying reptiles and remained poorly understood. As per the study, the X-ray computed tomography reveals a complex internal micro-architecture for three-dimensionally preserved, hyper-elongate cervical vertebrae of the Cretaceous azhdarchid pterosaur. The extremely long necks of the species have always been a captivating thing. The study revealed that the incorporation of the neural canal within the body of the vertebra and elongation of the centrum result in a “tube within a tube”, which was supported by helically distributed trabeculae.