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New Filter-Feeding Pterosaur, Bakiribu Waridza, Described From Fossilized Vomit

A reexamined museum piece from Brazil preserves two individuals in a single regurgitalite, extending the known reach of filter-feeding pterosaurs.

Overview

  • The fossil mass contains partial remains of two Bakiribu waridza individuals alongside four fish, all preserved as a regurgitalite.
  • Phylogenetic and paleohistological analyses, including well-preserved dentine and pulp cavities, support assignment to the filter-feeding Ctenochasmatidae.
  • The discovery marks the first recorded ctenochasmatid pterosaur in Brazil and in rocks of this age from tropical latitudes.
  • The specimen was long held in the Museu Câmara Cascudo collection with no precise provenance or collection date before being reexamined.
  • Researchers suggest a spinosaurid or an ornithocheiriform pterosaur likely produced the regurgitalite, but the predator’s identity remains unconfirmed.