Scientists have found that prehistoric flying reptiles that lived 182 million years ago lived on a diet of small fish and squid.
The “first-ever discovery” of the fossilised stomach contents of pterosaurs has led to a unique glimpse into the feeding habits of the giant species, which had wingspans of up to 12 metres (39ft).
The findings, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, were made by scientists from the University of Portsmouth and the Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde Stuttgart (SMNS) in Germany.
The team had analysed the fossilised stomach contents of two pterosaur species, dorygnathus and campylognathoides, from the early Jurassic period, found in modern-day south-west Germany.
They found that dorygnathus ate small fish for its last meal while campylognathoides ate prehistoric squid.
Dr Roy Smith, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Environment and Life Sciences, said: “It is incredibly rare to find 180 million-year-old pterosaurs preserved with their stomach contents, and provides ‘smoking gun’ evidence for pterosaur diets.
“The discovery offers a unique and fascinating glimpse into how these ancient creatures lived, what they ate, and the ecosystems they thrived in millions of years ago.”
Dr Samuel Cooper, also from the University of Portsmouth, said: “The fossilised stomach contents tell us a lot about the ecosystem at that time and how the animals interacted with each other.
“For me, this evidence of squid remains in the stomach of campylognathoides is therefore particularly exciting.
“Until now, we tended to assume that it fed on fish, similar to dorygnathus, in which we found small fish bones as stomach contents.
“The fact that these two pterosaur species ate different prey shows that they were likely specialised for different diets.
“This allowed dorygnathus and campylognathoides to coexist in the same habitat without much competition for food between the two species.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here