Fossils often contain limited and fragmented information. Hence, it is challenging for paleoecologists to identify feeding interactions in the fossil record.
Researchers from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Canada), the University of Reading (UK), and the University of New England (Australia) have found a rare crocodilian bite mark on the fossilized neck bone of a young Azhdarchid pterosaur (Cryodrakon boreas).
Discovered in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, the fossil has a 4-mm-wide puncture mark indicating a crocodile-like creature bit it 76 million years ago.
The lead author, Dr. Caleb Brown from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, stated that finding such bite marks on pterosaur bones is exceptionally rare, especially since this specimen is a juvenile.
The Azhdarchid pterosaur had a wingspan of about two meters, and when fully grown, it could reach a height similar to that of a giraffe with a wingspan of around 10 meters.
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Using micro-CT scans, the team confirmed the puncture mark was from a bite, not damage from fossilization or excavation.
Dr. Brian Pickles from the University of Reading explained that these bite traces help document interactions from that period. They show that crocodilians sometimes preyed on or scavenged juvenile pterosaurs in prehistoric Alberta over 70 million years ago.
This study also marks the first evidence in North America of ancient crocodilians feeding on these giant flying reptiles, with similar examples found in Romania.
Journal Reference:
- Caleb M. Brown, Phil R. Bell, Holly Owers, Brian J. Pickles, A juvenile pterosaur vertebra with putative crocodilian bite from the Campanian of Alberta, Canada. Journal of Palaeontology, DOI: 10.1017/jpa.2024.12
