[dinosaur] Filter-feeding pterosaur coprolites from Poland (free pdf)

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

A new paper with free pdf:

Martin Qvarnström, Erik Elgh, Krzysztof Owocki, Per E. Ahlberg & Grzegorz
Niedźwiedzki (2019)
Filter feeding in Late Jurassic pterosaurs supported by coprolite contents.
PeerJ 7:e7375
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.7717_peerj.7375&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=V6KvCUmVgZQ8SG6ZTQuACFZn9R-8UiJsxLhprcATi-A&s=AJK5GfgYbOOG-czDTpNaKqbzfas7GEg38mu-kiW95yI&e= 
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Free pdf:
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Diets of pterosaurs have mainly been inferred from indirect evidence such
as comparative anatomy, associations of co-occurring fossils, and
functional morphology. Gut contents are rare, and until now there is only a
single coprolite (fossil dropping), with unidentified inclusions, known.
Here we describe three coprolites collected from a palaeosurface with
numerous pterosaur tracks found in early Kimmeridgian (Hypselocyclum Zone)
intertidal deposits of the Wierzbica Quarry, Poland. The specimens’
morphology and association to the tracks suggest a pterosaur producer.
Synchrotron scans reveal numerous small inclusions, with foraminifera
making up the majority of the identifiable ones. Other small remains
include shells/carapaces (of bivalves, ostracods, and other
crustaceans/arthropods) and bristles (some possibly of polychaete worms).
The high density of the small shelly inclusions suggest that they were not
accidently ingested, but constituted an important food source for the
pterosaur(s), perhaps together with unpreserved soft-bodied animals. The
combined evidence from the tracks and coprolites suggest a filter-feeding
ctenochasmatid as the most likely tracemaker. If true, this significantly
expands the bromalite record for this pterosaur group, which was previously
only known from gastroliths. Moreover, this study also provides the first
direct evidence of filter feeding in Jurassic pterosaurs and shows that
they had a similar diet to the recent Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus
chilensis).

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