Brazilian pterosaur fossils reveal new details of its anatomy

Brazilian researchers reveal unpublished details anatomy of a pterosaurBased on your analysis, Fossils found in Paraná. searched from caiuajara dobruskiiAn extinct flying reptile with a wingspan of more than 2 meters that lived in the Cretaceous 80 million years ago, in the area where the city of Cruzeiro do Oeste is today.

Dinosaur remains were recovered in 2014 during excavations in the area known as Graveyard of the Pterosaurs. At that time, the site now used for important scientific research was a large desert called the Caiuá Group, where this species coexists with several other vertebrates around oases.

“The quantity of fossils combined with the quality of the preserved material caiuajara “It gives us a rare possibility to understand how these animals evolved over their lifetimes,” said Lucas Canejo, study leader and researcher in the Department of Geology and Paleontology at the National Museum/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

In addition, members of the Center for Paleontology at the University of Contestado (Mafra, Santa Catarina) in partnership with the Institut Català de Paleontology Miquel Crusafont (Barcelona, ​​Spain) and the Department of Biological Sciences of Cariri Regional University (Crato, Ceara).

Over the course of 8 years, all material collected in the field underwent a series of processes to reveal the anatomical features of the specimen. In the analysis of the fossils, which consist predominantly of the bones forming the skull, it was possible to observe a sexual dimorphism consisting of the differentiation of males and females.

“[A descoberta] “It reveals information that would normally be inaccessible to extinct groups, because in the vast majority of cases individuals are rescued in isolation, making it difficult or even impossible to compare several specimens of the same species,” Canejo explains.

next to you caiuajara dobruskiistudy identified a lizard species (South American Gueragama), two dinosaur species (Vespersaurus paranaense and Berthasaura leopard) and another pterosaur species (Keresdrakon vilsoni). The pterosaur specimens in question are on display at the Museum of Earth and Life at the Contestado University Paleontology Center on the Mafra campus.

Since the 2014 excavations, the large number of animals have been identified and the importance of the issue in the context of species evolution underscores the importance of supporting scientific institutions and researchers in Brazil, a region that has suffered from resource shortages and unexpected events in recent years. .