76-million-year-old mystery: Crocodile-like predator left its mark on this fossil
Bone with a bite:
Pterosaur fossil
found with tooth mark
The fossil, a small neck bone of a juvenile pterosaur, was discovered in July 2023 during a field course led by Dr Brian Pickles from the University of Reading. After a detailed analysis, scientists identified a puncture wound on the bone, which they believe was caused by the tooth of a crocodilian species from the same era.
The research was conducted jointly by scientists from the University of Reading, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Canada), and the University of New England (Australia).
According to the team, micro-CT scans confirmed the mark was not the result of post-burial damage or fossilisation but a bite that likely occurred during the animal's lifetime or shortly after its death.
Fragile fossil, uncommon evidence
Pterosaur bones, due to their lightweight and hollow structure, rarely preserve well. This makes any fossilised sign of damage or interaction with other animals a rare find. As quoted by the BBC, according to Dr Caleb Brown from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, 'Pterosaur bones are very delicate, so finding fossils where another animal has clearly taken a bite is exceptionally uncommon.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
5 motivi per rottamare ora la caldaia per una pompa di calore
Aira
Scopri di più
Undo
Dr Brown, who is the lead author of the research paper, further said, 'This specimen being a juvenile makes it even rarer.'
The juvenile is believed to have belonged to the Azhdarchid group of pterosaurs. Researchers estimate this individual had a wingspan of about 2 metres. In contrast, adults of the same group were significantly larger, reaching wingspans of up to 10 metres.
Insight into Cretaceous ecosystems
Dr Brian Pickles, under whose supervision the discovery was made, highlighted the importance of such findings.
'Bite traces help to document species interactions from this period,' he said, as quoted by the BBC.
He also explained that while it remains uncertain whether the young pterosaur was alive at the time of the bite, the fossil does indicate interaction between crocodilians and pterosaurs. 'We can't say if the pterosaur was alive or dead when it was bitten, but the specimen shows that crocodilians occasionally preyed on, or scavenged, juvenile pterosaurs in prehistoric Alberta over 70 million years ago,' Dr Pickles said, as quoted by the BBC.
First of its kind in the North American fossil record
This discovery is being noted as the first confirmed instance in North America of a crocodile-like predator feeding on a pterosaur. The scientific community regards it as a rare and significant addition to existing knowledge of Mesozoic-era life.
The fossil provides a rare and direct record of how prehistoric creatures interacted within their ecosystems, especially involving species that rarely leave behind such detailed evidence.
The study was published in the Journal of Palaeontology and adds a meaningful layer to our understanding of predator-prey dynamics in the Late Cretaceous period.
Image credit:
Created by Canva AI. For representational purposes only.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Is cleaning the air making Earth hotter? Scientists reveal a hidden side to pollution control
For decades, the fight against air pollution has symbolized human progress—cities blanketed in smog slowly clearing up, skies once grey turning blue, and millions of lives saved from toxic air. But in a surprising turn of events, scientists are now raising an unsettling alarm: cleaning up the air might be accelerating global warming . A new study reported by Daily Mail , led by researchers from the University of Reading and the CICERO Centre for International Climate Research, reveals that the rapid reduction of air pollution—particularly in East Asia—may be unmasking the true and previously hidden pace of climate change . Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Finance Degree Product Management Others Technology MCA MBA Data Analytics Data Science Project Management Operations Management Design Thinking others Artificial Intelligence PGDM healthcare Healthcare Management Public Policy Cybersecurity Data Science CXO Leadership Digital Marketing Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details A Cooling Veil Uncovered Pollutants like sulfur dioxide have long been responsible for forming sulfate aerosols—tiny particles that scatter sunlight and enhance cloud brightness. These particles, though hazardous to human health, have acted as an artificial "sunshade," reflecting a portion of solar radiation back into space and thus tempering the warming effect of greenhouse gases . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Binghatti Twilight: Dubai's New Architectural Marvel Binghatti Developers FZE Learn More Undo Professor Laura Wilcox, co-author of the study, explained to MailOnline , 'This shading effect from air pollution has offset some of the warming we should have seen due to increasing greenhouse gases.' She clarified that the recent warming is not directly caused by cutting pollution, but rather because 'we remove some of this shading effect, unmasking more warming from greenhouse gases.' In essence, we are now facing the true consequences of CO₂ emissions that were previously camouflaged by atmospheric pollutants. You Might Also Like: Escaping Delhi's air outside? Your living room might be more polluted than a traffic jam The East Asian Factor The link between air quality and rising temperatures becomes particularly clear when looking at East Asia. Over the past decade, countries like China have made sweeping reforms to curb pollution—a necessity given air pollution's toll, causing an estimated one million premature deaths annually in China alone. These efforts have led to a 75% reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions in just 15 years. Using 160 computer simulations, researchers found that this dramatic clean-up alone may have caused an additional 0.07°C rise in global temperatures—almost a third of the unexpected increase since 2010. While the planet was expected to warm by 0.23°C in that period, it actually warmed by 0.33°C. Lead author Dr. Bjørn Samset called it a catch-up moment. 'Air pollution has been hiding the warming that CO₂ levels should have produced, and the planet is only now catching up to where it should be,' he told MailOnline . 'In one sense, it means global warming is worse than before.' iStock Over the past decade, countries like China have made sweeping reforms to curb pollution—a necessity given air pollution's toll, causing an estimated one million premature deaths annually in China alone. (Image: iStock) The Double-Edged Sword of Progress The conundrum is tragic yet ironic: the very progress we celebrate for saving human lives might be accelerating environmental damage. Cleaning the air has exposed the planet to a more potent greenhouse gas effect, making the need for urgent decarbonization even more pressing. You Might Also Like: Bengaluru man, born and raised in the city, thinks living in India's Silicon Valley has become 'irritable' This doesn't mean we should stop reducing air pollution. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, air pollution remains the single largest environmental risk to human health, contributing to heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, and even adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nearly 8 million people die annually due to toxic air. However, the study reiterates that reducing pollutants like sulfur dioxide is not a standalone climate solution. Instead, it underscores the importance of simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions—especially long-lived gases like carbon dioxide and potent short-lived pollutants such as black carbon and methane. The Climate Clock Just Ticked Louder The findings arrive at a critical juncture in global climate discourse. With the Paris Agreement setting an ambitious target to cap warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the acceleration in warming post-2010 has put humanity perilously closer to that threshold than anticipated. 'The majority of the warming is still, and will continue to be, from greenhouse gas emissions,' warned Dr. Samset. 'To keep to the Paris targets, we now have to work even harder to rapidly cut our greenhouse gas emissions.' A Paradox for the Planet So, can cleaning the air make global warming worse? The answer, paradoxically, is yes—at least in the short term. But this only sharpens the focus on comprehensive climate action. Cutting pollution should not be seen as the enemy, but rather as a mirror showing us the urgency of tackling the deeper problem: the unchecked rise of greenhouse gases. In a world where every breath is increasingly precious, the task is not to pause the fight against pollution—but to accelerate the race against carbon. The clearer skies may have given us a glimpse of what's coming, and it's time we looked up and acted.
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Indian Express
How much ISRO spent on Shubhanshu Shukla for his Axion-4 mission on Dragon spacecraft?
Culminating a 20-day landmark space programme, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), touched down on Earth on Tuesday. Shukla was among the four crew members on board SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on Axiom-4 mission and gathered hands-on experience of a space journey that would be help in India's first-ever human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. Shukla is among four Indian air force officers shortlisted to travel on Gaganyaan in 2027. According to BBC, the Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spent Rs 5 billion or Rs 500 crore ($59m; £43m) on Shukla's trip on Axiom-4 — a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private company Axiom Space and a joint effort by NASA, ISRO and European Space Agency. The expenditure by ISRO includes cost of Shukla's training for the mission as well as that of a seat on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for the 20-day trip that launched Shukla, and three others — Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary — to space. Speaking to BBC, ISRO project director Sudeesh Balan stated that Shukla started rigourous training in August last year. His training included physical and psychological assessments to prepare for the journey. The mission is likely to benefit ISRO in terms of relevant trainings, exposure to the facilities and the experience of conducting collaborative experiments in space.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
66-million-year-old fossil egg found in Antarctica may change what we know about sea reptiles
A strange-looking fossil egg that had been sitting unnoticed in a museum for years is finally getting the attention it deserves– and it's offering a glimpse into Antarctica's ancient marine life. The egg, which was found decades ago on Seymour Island in Antarctica, had puzzled researchers for a long time. It was large, soft-shelled, and oddly deflated, which earned it the nickname 'The Thing' at Chile's National Museum of Natural History, where it was kept. For years, no one knew exactly what it came from. But now, scientists believe it likely belonged to a massive marine reptile– possibly a type of sea lizard or ancient snake– that lived more than 66 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Fossil from the Age of Dinosaurs The fossil egg– estimated to be between 66 and 68 million years old– was found by a Chilean team in the same rocky area where dinosaur bones had previously been uncovered. It's a big one too. At around 29 by 20 centimeters (roughly 11 by 8 inches), it's now considered the second-largest egg ever discovered. Only the egg of Madagascar's extinct elephant bird– a massive, flightless species– has it beat in size. 'A deflated football' with historical significance According to Lucas Legendre, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas, 'This new egg is the very first fossil egg from Antarctica, and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered.' He added, 'It is elongated, collapsed, with many creases and folds on its surface. One side is flattened, suggesting this is where it came in contact with the sea floor. Its eggshell is very thin and poorly mineralised, like in the eggs of lizards and snakes. ' His team's findings were published in the journal Nature, offering new evidence that challenges long-standing beliefs about marine reptile reproduction. Stored in Chile, studied across continents Since it was first uncovered, the fossil has been kept at Chile's National Museum of Natural History. For years, its origin remained a mystery. But after a closer look and detailed analysis, researchers were finally able to trace it back to massive marine reptiles– likely mosasaurs or plesiosaurs– that swam the oceans during the Late Cretaceous period. Shifting scientific understanding Until now, scientists had assumed that such marine reptiles were entirely viviparous, meaning they gave birth to live young. However, the discovery of this fossil egg suggests otherwise, indicating that some of these ancient creatures may have laid eggs. Note: Images in this article were generated using Canva AI and are for illustrative purposes only.
