| Title |
Discovery of a Rare Pterosaur Bone Bed in a Cretaceous Desert with Insights on Ontogeny and Behavior of Flying Reptiles
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, August 2014
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0100005 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Paulo C. Manzig, Alexander W. A. Kellner, Luiz C. Weinschütz, Carlos E. Fragoso, Cristina S. Vega, Gilson B. Guimarães, Luiz C. Godoy, Antonio Liccardo, João H. Z. Ricetti, Camila C. de Moura |
| Abstract |
A pterosaur bone bed with at least 47 individuals (wing spans: 0.65-2.35 m) of a new species is reported from southern Brazil from an interdunal lake deposit of a Cretaceous desert, shedding new light on several biological aspects of those flying reptiles. The material represents a new pterosaur, Caiuajara dobruskii gen. et sp. nov., that is the southermost occurrence of the edentulous clade Tapejaridae (Tapejarinae, Pterodactyloidea) recovered so far. Caiuajara dobruskii differs from all other members of this clade in several cranial features, including the presence of a ventral sagittal bony expansion projected inside the nasoantorbital fenestra, which is formed by the premaxillae; and features of the lower jaw, like a marked rounded depression in the occlusal concavity of the dentary. Ontogenetic variation of Caiuajara dobruskii is mainly reflected in the size and inclination of the premaxillary crest, changing from small and inclined (∼115°) in juveniles to large and steep (∼90°) in adults. No particular ontogenetic features are observed in postcranial elements. The available information suggests that this species was gregarious, living in colonies, and most likely precocial, being able to fly at a very young age, which might have been a general trend for at least derived pterosaurs. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 69 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 13 | 19% |
| United Kingdom | 7 | 10% |
| Brazil | 3 | 4% |
| Japan | 3 | 4% |
| Indonesia | 2 | 3% |
| Turkey | 1 | 1% |
| France | 1 | 1% |
| Italy | 1 | 1% |
| Colombia | 1 | 1% |
| Other | 4 | 6% |
| Unknown | 33 | 48% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 50 | 72% |
| Scientists | 13 | 19% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 3 | 4% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 3 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 75 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Chile | 1 | 1% |
| United States | 1 | 1% |
| Colombia | 1 | 1% |
| Canada | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 71 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 14 | 19% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 11 | 15% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 15% |
| Researcher | 10 | 13% |
| Student > Master | 5 | 7% |
| Other | 11 | 15% |
| Unknown | 13 | 17% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 30 | 40% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 20 | 27% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 3% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 1 | 1% |
| Other | 3 | 4% |
| Unknown | 16 | 21% |