INVESTIGADORES
CID Fabricio Damian
artículos
Título:
First occurrence of stomach stones in pterosaurs
Autor/es:
CODORNIÚ, L.; CHIAPPE, L.M.; CID, F. D.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Editorial:
SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Referencias:
Lugar: Lawrence; Año: 2013 vol. 33 p. 647 - 654
ISSN:
0272-4634
Resumen:
Two nearly complete skeletons of the filter-feeding pterodactyloid Pterodaustro guinazui from the Lower Cretaceous of Argentina exhibit clusters of poorly sorted coarse sand to fine gravel inside the abdominal cavity. These stones are interpreted as ingested gastroliths (geogastroliths), which are commonly found in a variety of archosaurs (including birds)but have never before been reported in a pterosaur. The geogastroliths found in these Pterodaustro specimens are interpreted as having assisted in the digestion of hard food items such as shelled crustaceans that are abundant in the fossil beds of this pterosaur. One of these specimens with geogastroliths has anteriormandibular teeth that are notably thicker than the posterior teeth and are somewhat procumbent. We suggest that these teeth might have facilitated the apprehension of fine gravel.
