Latest news with #Cryodrakonboreas
New York Times
30-01-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, Catch a Pterosaur by Its Neck
Around 76 million years ago, something took a bite out of a young pterosaur. Pterosaurs were large, flying reptiles that roamed our planet's skies when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Some species were giants. But even their large size didn't keep them off the menu. Paleontologists have discovered a tooth mark in a neck vertebra of a pterosaur that died in what is now Alberta. In a paper published last week in The Journal of Paleontology, they suggest that the tooth mark was made by a prehistoric relative of the crocodile that either snatched the young pterosaur from the shore or scavenged its dead body. The fossil is now on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta. Pterosaurs came in all shapes and sizes and were found worldwide during their tenure on the planet, which lasted from 220 million to 65 million years ago. But they had fragile bones that were often destroyed before being preserved in the fossil record. Paleontologists mostly find neck and finger bones for this species, and that makes them 'quite mysterious,' said David Hone, a paleontologist at Queen Mary University of London who was not involved in the research. But scientists actually 'have a much better idea of what was eating pterosaurs than what they were eating,' said Caleb Brown, a paleontologist and curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum who was among the authors of the new study. Paleontologists have so far discovered only around four pterosaur fossils that suggest that predators occasionally dined on these winged reptiles — including a neck bone with crocodile-like teeth marks found in Romania and a partly digested long bone in the belly of a velociraptor uncovered in Mongolia. This latest fossil — a two-inch neck vertebra — was found by students during a dig in 2023 in the Dinosaur Park Formation in the badlands of Alberta. The area is so rich in remains that 'you literally can't walk without stepping on dinosaur bones,' Dr. Brown said. He and his team at the museum identified the fossil as belonging to a young Cryodrakon boreas. Full-grown members of this species had wingspans of more than 30 feet. This youngling was still growing and had reached a wingspan of only around six feet when it died. While examining the fossil, Dr. Brown noticed what looked like a small bite mark. The team examined the puncture hole under a microscope and sent the bone for a CT scan. What they found was consistent with a puncture made by a tooth when the bone was still fresh. Identifying the biter was the next piece of the puzzle. There were many potential candidates. Even though Cretaceous Alberta was farther north than it is today, it was a lush, tropical area that bordered an inland sea. Wetlands near the open water were home to many large dinosaurs, crocodilians and mammalians. But dinosaurs seemed like unlikely culprits. Dinosaur species who lived in the area at the time had blade- or D-shaped teeth that didn't match the circular shape of the hole. Crocodilians, on the other hand, do make circular-shaped punctures. The hole is also the right size for two species of crocs that coexisted with giant pterosaurs. For Dr. Brown, that made a crocodilian predator or scavenger the 'most likely candidate' for the bite mark. Even with a likely suspect, no one knows what the young pterosaur's last moments were like. Did it die and become a 'free lunch' for a hungry crocodilian that happened upon its body, as Dr. Brown speculated? Or was it the victim of an ambush? Both explanations are possible. Like alligators and crocodiles today, their forebears in the Cretaceous period 'probably grabbed whatever the hell they're able to get their mouth around,' Dr. Hone said. 'It's what crocs do.'
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare fossil of flying dinosaur reveals 76-million-year-old crocodile-like bite
A crocodile-like creature bit the neck of a flying dinosaur some 76 million years ago – and scientists have proof. Archaeologists found the fossilized neck bone of the young pterosaur in Canada's Dinosaur Provincial Park. 'Bite traces help to document species interactions from this period,' Dr Brian Pickles, from England's University of Reading, said in a statement. 'We can't say if the pterosaur was alive or dead when it was bitten but the specimen shows that crocodilians occasionally preyed on, or scavenged, juvenile pterosaurs in prehistoric Alberta over 70 million years ago.' Pickles is a co-author of a paper announcing the finding that was published Wednesday in the Journal of Palaeontology. The discovery was made during an international field course led by Pickles in July 2023. The Alberta state park has produced some of the most important dinosaur fossil discoveries ever made, including 35 species dating back some 75 million years. The vertebra has a circular, four-millimeter-wide puncture mark from a crocodilian tooth. Researchers say the finding provides insight into the dynamics between predators and their prey in the region during the Cretaceous Period. They took micro-CT scans, which are often used to diagnose disease or injury, and comparisons with other pterosaur bones to confirm the puncture was the result of a bite and not just damage during its fossilization. The fossil belongs to a young Azhdarchid pterosaur, also known as Cryodrakon boreas, with an estimated wingspan of 6.5 feet, according to the University of Reading. Adults of this species would have been as tall as a giraffe, boasting a wingspan of up to 32 feet. The paper also says this bone is the first evidence in North America of ancient crocodilians opportunistically feeding on these giant prehistoric flying reptiles. Other examples of Azhdarchid bones with possible crocodilian bites have previously been found in Romania. 'Pterosaur bones are very delicate – so finding fossils where another animal has clearly taken a bite is exceptionally uncommon. This specimen being a juvenile makes it even more rare,' the paper's lead author Dr. Caleb Brown, of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, said.
The Independent
26-01-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Rare fossil of flying dinosaur reveals 76-million-year-old crocodile-like bite
A crocodile-like creature bit the neck of a flying dinosaur some 76 million years ago – and scientists have proof. Archaeologists found the fossilized neck bone of the young pterosaur in Canada's Dinosaur Provincial Park. 'Bite traces help to document species interactions from this period,' Dr Brian Pickles, from England's University of Reading, said in a statement. 'We can't say if the pterosaur was alive or dead when it was bitten but the specimen shows that crocodilians occasionally preyed on, or scavenged, juvenile pterosaurs in prehistoric Alberta over 70 million years ago.' Pickles is a co-author of a paper announcing the finding that was published Wednesday in the Journal of Palaeontology. The discovery was made during an international field course led by Pickles in July 2023. The Alberta state park has produced some of the most important dinosaur fossil discoveries ever made, including 35 species dating back some 75 million years. The vertebra has a circular, four-millimeter-wide puncture mark from a crocodilian tooth. Researchers say the finding provides insight into the dynamics between predators and their prey in the region during the Cretaceous Period. They took micro-CT scans, which are often used to diagnose disease or injury, and comparisons with other pterosaur bones to confirm the puncture was the result of a bite and not just damage during its fossilization. The fossil belongs to a young Azhdarchid pterosaur, also known as Cryodrakon boreas, with an estimated wingspan of 6.5 feet, according to the University of Reading. Adults of this species would have been as tall as a giraffe, boasting a wingspan of up to 32 feet. The paper also says this bone is the first evidence in North America of ancient crocodilians opportunistically feeding on these giant prehistoric flying reptiles. Other examples of Azhdarchid bones with possible crocodilian bites have previously been found in Romania. 'Pterosaur bones are very delicate – so finding fossils where another animal has clearly taken a bite is exceptionally uncommon. This specimen being a juvenile makes it even more rare,' the paper's lead author Dr. Caleb Brown, of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, said.
