A fossilised cervical vertebra from a pterosaur preserves a chunk mark from a crocodilian. The neck bone was found throughout a world discipline course within the well-known Dinosaur Provincial Park Formation (Alberta, Canada), that passed off in July 2023. The course was led by Dr Brian Pickles from the College of Studying. The fossil bone preserves a four-millimetre-wide puncture mark from a crocodilian tooth. The punctured vertebra in all probability represents a bone from a juvenile Cryodrakon boreas.
The juvenile Cryodrakon boreas neck bone (backside proper) with an grownup neck bone (high). Image credit score: College of Studying.
Image credit score: College of Studying
The researchers estimate that this animal had a wingspan of round two metres. Nevertheless, a lot bigger pterosaur bones from the Dinosaur Park Formation counsel {that a} fully-grown Cryodrakon might have rivalled Quetzalcoatlus in measurement. Certainly, when azhdarchid pterosaur bones have been first found on this formation, the fabric was tentatively assigned to Quetzalcoatlus spp.
To learn Every little thing Dinosaur’s weblog put up from 2019 concerning the discovery of Cryodrakon boreas: The First Pterosaur Distinctive to Canada.
A Juvenile Cryodrakon boreas
The research was undertaken by researchers from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Alberta), the College of Studying (UK) and the College of New England (Australia). The paper has been printed as we speak. The round nature of the chunk mark and different elements of its morphology point out that it was made by a crocodilian tooth. It isn’t recognized whether or not that is proof of predation or whether or not the crocodilian scavenged a pterosaur carcase. Nevertheless, it’s outstanding proof of predator/prey dynamics courting from the Late Cretaceous.
Lead writer of the paper, Dr Caleb Brown (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology), commented:
“Pterosaur bones are very delicate – so discovering fossils the place one other animal has clearly taken a chunk is exceptionally unusual. This specimen being a juvenile makes it much more uncommon.”
Analysis crew members working on the quarry the place the juvenile Cryodrakon boreas cervical vertebra was discovered. Image credit score: College of Studying.
Image credit score: College of Studying
Fossils from this strata date from the Campanian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous. This younger pterosaur lived roughly seventy-six million years in the past.
Evaluating Pterosaur Bones and Utilizing Micro-CT Scans
The scientists in contrast the one vertebra with different pterosaur bones to verify that the puncture did certainly signify pathology. Proof of an precise chunk into the bone. Micro-CT scans have been employed to allow a way more detailed evaluation of the puncture wound.
Co-author Dr Brian Pickles (College of Studying) defined:
“Chew traces assist to doc species interactions from this era. We are able to’t say if the pterosaur was alive or useless when it was bitten however the specimen exhibits that crocodilians sometimes preyed on, or scavenged, juvenile pterosaurs in prehistoric Alberta over 70 million years in the past.”
That is the primary documented proof from North America of historic crocodilians opportunistically feeding on pterosaurs. Azhdarchid bones with attainable crocodilian bites have beforehand been recorded in Romania.
A researcher fastidiously brushes away particles from a fossil bone at a quarry positioned within the Dinosaur Provincial Park Formation. Image credit score: College of Studying.
Image credit score: College of Studying
Every little thing Dinosaur acknowledges the help of a media launch from the College of Studying within the compilation of this text.
The scientific paper: “A juvenile pterosaur vertebra with putative crocodilian chunk from the Campanian of Alberta, Canada” by Caleb M. Brown, Phil R. Bell, Holly Owers and Brian J. Pickles printed within the Journal of Palaeontology.
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