A juvenile pterosaur vertebra with putative crocodilian bite from the Campanian of Alberta, Canada

Brown, C. M., Bell, P. R., Owers, H. and Pickles, B. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9809-6455 (2025) A juvenile pterosaur vertebra with putative crocodilian bite from the Campanian of Alberta, Canada. Journal of Paleontology, 98 (5). pp. 855-864. ISSN 0022-3360 doi: 10.1017/jpa.2024.12

Abstract/Summary

Identifying feeding interactions in the fossil record remains a key challenge for palaeoecologists. We report the rare occurrence of a conical, perforative bite mark in a cervical vertebra of an azhdarchid pterosaur, which we identify as a juvenile individual of Cryodrakon boreasfrom the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada.Based on a comparative analysis of the dentition and ecomorphology of potential trace makers in the Dinosaur Park Formation as well as the morphology of the trace, the most likely candidate is a crocodilian, although whether it was made as a result of scavenging or predatory behaviour is unknown. Feeding interactions involving pterosaurs are rare, globally, whereas crocodilian bite marks are not uncommon in Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems. Given the opportunistic feeding style and known range of food items for both extant and extinct crocodilians, pterosaurs can be counted as a rare, but not surprising component of at least some Cretaceous crocodilian diets.