INVESTIGADORES
DE VALAIS Silvina
artículos
Título:
Cretaceous small scavengers: feeding traces in tetrapod bones from Patagonia, Argentina
Autor/es:
DE VALAIS S; APESTEGUIA S; GARRIDO A
Revista:
PLOS ONE
Editorial:
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Referencias:
Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2012 vol. 7 p. 1 - 8
ISSN:
1932-6203
Resumen:
Ecological relationships among fossil vertebrate groups are interpreted based on evidence of modification features and
paleopathologies on fossil bones. Here we describe an ichnological assemblage composed of trace fossils on reptile bones,
mainly sphenodontids, crocodyliforms and maniraptoran theropods. They all come from La Buitrera, an early Late
Cretaceous locality in the Candeleros Formation of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This locality is significant because of
the abundance of small to medium-sized vertebrates. The abundant ichnological record includes traces on bones, most of
them attributable to tetrapods. These latter traces include tooth marks that provde evidence of feeding activities made
during the sub-aerial exposure of tetrapod carcasses. Other traces are attributable to arthropods or roots. The totality of
evidence provides an uncommon insight into paleoecological aspects of a Late Cretaceous southern ecosystem.
