Pterosaur fossil reveals prehistoric crocodile attack in Canada

According to the BBC, this remarkable discovery was made in Canada in July 2023, providing new insights into the life of pterosaurs from that era. The pterosaur neck vertebra fossil, found in Alberta, bears distinct bite marks from an ancient crocodile. This finding was detailed in the "Journal of Paleontology."

Pterosaur bones are very delicate — so finding fossils where another animal has clearly taken a bite is exceptionally uncommon. This specimen being a juvenile makes it even more rare, as indicated by Caleb Brown, the lead author of the study from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

The discovered neck vertebra belonged to a pterosaur of the species Cryodrakon boreas. Young members of this species had a wingspan of about 6.5 feet, while adults could reach a wingspan of up to 33 feet, comparable in size to a giraffe.

Cryodrakon boreas was among the largest flying creatures in Earth's history and coexisted with dinosaurs, dominating the skies as one of the largest aerial creatures.

Scientists used micro-CT scanning to examine the fossil, which confirmed that the marks on the bone were indeed the result of a bite, not damage during fossilization or excavation. They believe the attacker was a crocodile of the species Leidyosuchus canadensis. It is possible that the crocodile either preyed on Cryodrakon boreas while it was alive or scavenged on its body after death.

According to "The Jerusalem Post," similar discoveries have been made in Romania, where pterosaur fossils from the Azhdarchidae family also exhibited similar bite marks. These findings suggest that interactions between crocodiles and pterosaurs might have been more common than previously thought, despite being rarely documented. This discovery adds another piece of evidence to the complex ecosystems and interspecies interactions that existed millions of years ago.