Small fish and squid formed the diet of pterosaurs

Oct. 24 () –

The discovery of Fossilized stomach contents in two 182-million-year-old flying reptiles has revealed that small fish and squid were part of the pterosaurs’ diet.

Pterosaurs dominated the skies during the age of the dinosaurs. Over millions of years, they evolved into a huge variety of forms, including giant species with wingspans of up to 12 meters. But little is known about how and what these pterosaurs ate. The spectacular discovery of fossilized stomach contents in two species of pterosaurs, Dorygnathus and Campylognathoides, from the Early Jurassic of southwestern Germany has provided new knowledge about their diet and eating behavior.

Dr. Samuel Cooper, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, examined the fossils and analyzed the remains in the reptiles’ stomachs together with colleagues from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, Professor David Martill and Dr. Roy Smith.

The results, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontologyshow that the pterosaur Dorygnathus ate small fish, while Campylognathoides ate prehistoric squid. This oldest and world’s first evidence of squid consumption by pterosaurs tells researchers a lot about the animals’ lifestyle, ecology and evolution. The Dorygnathus and Campylognathoides specimens, which are around 182 million years old, come from Posidonia shale in the Holzmaden region of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Until now, nothing was known about the diet of pterosaurs from this period.

THEY SHARED HABITAT BUT NOT FOOD PREFERENCES

The notable discovery is the first evidence of different diets of two different species of pterosaurs in the same environment. “Fossilized stomach contents tell us a lot about the ecosystem at that time and how animals interacted with each other. To me, this evidence of squid remains in the stomach of Campylognathoides is therefore particularly exciting. Until now, it was thought which fed on fish, like Dorygnathus, in whose stomach small fish bones were found. The fact that these two species of pterosaurs. ate different prey shows that they were probably specialized in different diets. “This allowed Dorygnathus and Campylognathoides to coexist in the same habitat without much competition for food between the two species,” says Dr. Samuel Cooper, first author of the study.

Fossil stomach contents that represent the last meal of these animals are extremely rare. This is probably because pterosaurs digested their food very quickly, as the extra weight in their stomachs would have affected their ability to fly. Dorygnathus and Campylognathoides were similar to modern seabirds. They flew over the waters of a warm, subtropical sea that flooded southern Germany during the Jurassic period and was their source of food.

“It is incredibly rare to find 180-million-year-old pterosaurs preserved with their stomach contents, and provides irrefutable proof of the pterosaur diet. The discovery offers a unique and fascinating insight into how these ancient creatures lived, what they ate, and in what ecosystems.” thrived millions of years ago,” he says. in a statement Professor David Martill, from the School of Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.

The two pterosaurs studied are part of the extensive paleontological collections of the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart. As part of a research project on the “Paleobiology of Vertebrates in the Posidonia Slate”, the museum has re-examined numerous fossils from this period. During this research, the stomach contents of the two pterosaurs were discovered.

Posidonia slate is an approximately 182-year-old black slate formation in southwestern Germany which is known for its exceptionally well-preserved and diverse fossils. The fossil fauna of this period includes a wide variety of animals, including pregnant ichthyosaurs with preserved embryos, long-necked plesiosaurs, marine crocodiles, several large fish, crustaceans, cuttlefish, ammonites and pterosaurs.

Together, they provide one of the most complete and unique snapshots of Early Jurassic marine life. Fossilized soft parts, such as stomach contents or skin, are very rare because they can only be preserved under special environmental conditions. The seabed of the Posidonia shale had a low oxygen content, which resulted in good conservation conditions. Furthermore, the very soft mud ensured that dead animals sank quickly into the mud without scavengers or water currents destroying their remains.

The squid-eating pterosaur Campylognathoides can be seen in the permanent exhibition of the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History in the Museum am Löwentor.