Pterosaur Fossil Recovered During Police Raid; Specimen Analysis Offers New Insight Into the Flying Reptile's Foraging Style

A Pterosaur fossil believed to be completely intact, was recently described in a new analysis stating it had short arms and long hind legs that it could have comfortably walked on the ground most of the time.

In 2013, 30,000 fossils were smuggled during a police raid at Santos Harbor in Brazil, and these included the said fossil described with as a big-headed pterosaur type ever discovered.

A ScienceNews report specified that a new analysis of the discovered pterosaur fossil offers an insight into the foraging style of this flying reptile, its flying capability, and anatomy.

The fossil, identified as Tupandactylus navigans, is a member of a group of pterosaurs also known as tapejarids. These pterosaurs are said to be known for their gigantic size and crested skulls,

They hail from the early Cretaceous Period that lasted between 145 million and 100 million years ago. Some well-preserved fossils have been discovered in China, although they are not as complete as this newly-examined fossil, and the anatomy of the pterosaur had not been completely described.

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Fossil Analysis

According to paleontologist Victor Beccari, from the NOVA School of Science & Technology in Caparica, Portugal, this is the first time they have the "full skull and the full body."

When the team of Beccari received the fossil in 2016, it had been cut already into six blocks. It's a shame, he said, although they used it to their advantage.

In the study, Osteology of an exceptionally well-preserved tapejarid skeleton from Brazil: Revealing the anatomy of a curious pterodactyloid clade, published in PLOS ONE, the authors had the sliced pieces fit inside a CT scanner, and then, used the said scans to generate a 3D model of the skeleton of the pterosaur that showed parts still buried inside the rock.

Previous research proposed that tapejarids had a short, stout neck to support their big head while flying. However, the team of Beccari presented that the neck accounted for more than half of the length of the spine, which could have made continued flight difficult.

The long hind legs of the fossil, as well as the relatively short arms, suggested that tapejarids could have been comfortably walking.

Such observations have suggested that T. navigans may have behaved the same as peacocks, explained Beccari. The crest of the tapejarid possibly attracted mates, and the pterosaurs may have flown to treetops in search of food or to escape from their predators, he continued explaining. Nevertheless, Beccari added, the tapejarid spent most of its time walking on the ground.

How Pterosaurs Flew

According to the American Museum of Natural History, pterosaurs, like other flying animals, generated lift using their wings.

They needed to carry out similar kinds of motions like birds and bats are doing. However, their wings independently evolved, developing their own unique "aerodynamic structure."

Essentially, pterosaurs were flying through their forelimbs. Their long, narrowing wings developed from the same body parts as the human arms.

The arms of these reptiles, as well as their hand bones, evolved for flying. Specifically, they expanded, and one finger's bones, the equivalent of the humans' ring finger, turned unusually long.

More so, akin to the mast on a ship, such bones supported the surface of the wings. This particular surface is a thin flap of skin, that was formed like a sail.

Related information on how pterosaurs flew is shown on the American Museum of Natural History's YouTube video below: