STRANGE DEATH OF A PTEROSAUR

[da_capo]

Hi all

 

This may have been discussed before so let me know if it has but I was interested to know if anyone had read this paper:

 

Frey, Eberhard & Martill, David & Buchy, M.-C. (2003). A new crested ornithocheirid from the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern Brazil and the unusual death of an unusual pterosaur. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 217. 55-63. 10.1144/GSL.SP.2003.217.01.05.

 

And what their opinions were on it? Was the pterosaur death directly linked to the leaf or was the leaf an added biproduct during the fossilisation process?

 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by da_capo
Spelling error

[PaleoNoel]

Hard to know I would imagine, unless they scanned it and the left mandible was under the leaf. Regardless its an amazing fossil and anyone who's fossil hunted out west can tell you, yucca leaves are nothing you want to tango with.

[LordTrilobite]

3 hours ago, PaleoNoel said:

Hard to know I would imagine, unless they scanned it and the left mandible was under the leaf. Regardless its an amazing fossil and anyone who's fossil hunted out west can tell you, yucca leaves are nothing you want to tango with.

It's not that obvious in that small picture. But the leaf is is definitely inside the lower jaw of the Ludodactylus. It's been prepped so that it's quite visible.

[Troodon]

This is in the abstract:

A lanceolate leaf with frayed distal end wedged between the mandibular rami suggests the cause of death for the specimen

 

From Mark Witton (4/14/17) blog :

One of these is the famous and perhaps darkly comic circumstances surrounding the holotype skull and mandible of Ludodactylus sibbicki, a Cretaceous, likely fish-eating Brazilian ornithocheirid found with a sharp, pointed leaf between its lower jaw rami (panel F in the image above). Much of the 2003 description of this specimen (Frey et al. 2003) discusses this association and concludes that ingestion of these plant remains led to the death of the pterosaur. According to this story, the pterosaur accidentally scooped up the leaf, having mistaking it for its usual prey, stabbed the plant material on its throat tissues, frayed the end of the leaf trying to work it loose, but starved to death before it could dislodge it.

[fossilus]

What a way to die!

[thelivingdead531]

I will always find it so fascinating when we’re able to determine how an ancient creature had died. 

[Top Trilo]

When you zoom in you can see the overlap better, and he died with a little fish.