Dinosaur Bone Shows Bite Marks from Ancient Crocodile-Like Predator
Fossilized Dinosaur Bone Shows Rare Crocodilian Bite Marks from 76 Million Years Ago
Researchers have uncovered a fossilized dinosaur neck bone bearing bite marks from a crocodile-like predator, offering a rare glimpse into prehistoric predator-prey interactions.
Discovered in July 2023 at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, by a University of Reading team, the bone belonged to a juvenile Azhdarchid pterosaur—a giant flying reptile with an estimated 6ft 7in (2m) wingspan. Scientists confirmed the bite was authentic through micro-CT scans and comparisons with other fossils.
Lead researcher Dr. Caleb Brown from Canada’s Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology highlighted the rarity of such finds, noting that delicate pterosaur bones rarely preserve evidence of predation. The study, co-authored by researchers from the University of Reading and the University of New England in Australia, suggests crocodilians occasionally preyed on or scavenged young pterosaurs in prehistoric North America.
This discovery marks the first known evidence in North America of ancient crocodilians feeding on giant flying reptiles, shedding new light on the region’s Cretaceous ecosystem.
