The function of the cranial crest and jaws of a unique pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil.
The discovery of a previously undescribed pterosaur, Thalassodromeus sethi, yields information on the function of cranial crests and the feeding strategy developed by these extinct flying reptiles. The material consists of a large skull (length: 1420 millimeters, including the crest) with a huge bony crest that was well irrigated by blood vessels and may have been used for regulation of its body temperature. The rostrum consists of two bladelike laminae, the arrangement of which is analogous to the condition found in the bird Rynchops, which skims over the water to catch food, indicating that T. sethi also may have been a skimmer.
Paleovertebrate Sector, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil. kellner@mn.ufrj.br
Alexander W A
AW
Kellner
Diogenes de Almeida
Dde A
Campos
D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D001938:Brazil; D004435:Eating; D005580:Fossils; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D008116:Lizards / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*