Scientists have discovered a highly unusual new species of pterosaur in a quarry in Bavaria’s Upper Franconia – a long-legged animal with a spoon-shaped beak with more than 400 teeth, some of which are hooked. The pterosaur lived about 154 million years ago in what was then the flat lagoon landscape of the region.
The German-English research team gave the new pterosaur the scientific name Balaenognathus maeuseri. The genus name translates as whale jaws, the Natural History Museum in Bamberg said Tuesday. There you can see the almost complete skeleton of the pterodactyl.
Filtered food like a baleen whale
The name refers to the fact that the dinosaur probably filtered its food from the water like a baleen whale. The research team, led by the University of Portsmouth, finds the shape of the teeth particularly noteworthy. “Some of the teeth have a hook on the end, which has never been seen in a pterosaur before,” said lead author David Martill. The animal probably used the hooks to catch small crabs.
Lived about 154 million years ago
The pterosaur lived about 154 million years ago in what was then the flat lagoon landscape of the region. According to the experts, the teeth indicate an unusual diet for pterosaurs: Balaenognathus maeuseri probably used its spoon-shaped beak to suck up water. He then squeezed excess fluid through his teeth, causing shrimp and copepods to get stuck in his mouth.
Researchers accidentally found the well-preserved skeleton in the fall of 2011 when they recovered a large block of limestone with crocodile bones in the quarry near Wattendorf in the district of Bamberg. “The animal must have been buried in the sediment almost immediately after its death,” Martill suspects. All joints including the ligaments were still connected.
Named after former museum director
The new pterosaur was given the species name maeuseri in honor of the former director of the Natural History Museum in Bamberg, Matthias Mauser. He is also a co-author of the study, but died while working on the August 2021 publication.
The Natural History Museum has been conducting scientific excavations in the quarry at Wattendorf since 2004. In 2000, fossils from the Upper Jurassic were discovered there. Many finds are on display at the Natural History Museum, including what museum director Oliver Wings says is the world’s largest coelacanth from the Upper Jurassic.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
