Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Stunning fossils: Fish catches fish-catching pterosaur

Two predators, two prey, but only three animals (Image: 2012 Frey, Tischlinger)

The swooping pterosaur snatched a fish from the water, only to be caught by a much bigger fish leaping into the air

Discovered: Solnhofen, Germany, 2009
Age: 155 million years
Location: Wyoming Dinosaur Center, US

The pterosaur flew just above the water of the tropical lagoon. Snap! It snatched a small, herring-like fish from the water and began to swallow it. But the noise attracted a predator. Up popped Aspidorhynchus, a sleek fish about 60 centimetres long. The fish leaped out of the water and grabbed the pterosaur by its left wing as it was flying. All the animals then splashed down into the water.

But the Aspidorhynchus had bitten off more than it could chew. It didn't have wide jaws and cutting teeth capable of dealing with such large prey. Its narrow jaws, ending in a pointed ...

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