Tupandactylus navigans (artistic representation). Credit: Victor Beccari
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The complete skeleton provides a first view of the entire body of Tupandactylus navigans.
A fossil acquired in a police raid turned out to be one of the best preserved flying reptiles ever found, according to a study published Aug. 25, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Victor Beccari of the University of São Paulo and colleagues.
Tapejaris (one
This fossil belongs to a species called Tupandactylus navigans, and has a dramatic story. It is preserved in six square-cut limestone slabs that were confiscated during a police operation at the Port of Santos, in São Paulo. It is already among the collections at the University of São Paulo, where researchers were able to gather the plates and examine the entire fossil, even a CT scan to reveal the bones hidden within the stone. It is the first time that paleontologists have been able to study more than just the skull of this species.
Tupandactylus navigans GP / 2E 9266. Specimen photo (A); 3D model of the sample (B). Abbreviations: atax, atlas axis complex; cav, caudal vertebrae; cv, cervical vertebrae; d4, digit four; dc, tooth crest; dov, dorsal vertebrae; f, femur; hu, humerus; il, ilium; bait, ischium; ma, manus; mc, metacarpal; naof, nasoantorbital fenestra; no, notary; p, pubis; pe, feet; pmc, premaxillary crest; pt, psteroid; rad, radius; sac, sacral vertebrae; sc, scapulocoracoid; spmp, supra-premaxillary bone process; ts, sternum; tar, tarsal; tf, tibiofibula; ul, ulna. Scale bar = 50 mm. Credit: Victor Beccari
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The description suggests that this species had a terrestrial foraging lifestyle, due to its long neck and limb proportions, as well as its large crest on its head that could negatively influence long-distance flight. However, the specimen has all the necessary adaptations for powered flight, such as the presence of a notary and a muscular anchorage region developed in the bones of the arm. This specimen also has an unusually large crest on its chin, part of its already impressive skull ornamentation. Precisely how all these factors contributed to the flight performance and lifestyle of these animals will be the subject of future research, among the many other questions that can be answered by studying this exceptional fossil.
The authors add: “We describe Brazil’s most complete tapejarid fossil, a partially articulated skeleton of Tupandactylus navigans with preservation of soft tissue. This specimen brings new insights into this animal’s anatomy and its flight restrictions, advocating terrestrial foraging ecology. ”
Reference: “Osteology of an exceptionally well preserved Brazilian tapejarid skeleton: revealing the anatomy of a curious pterodactyloid clade” by Victor Beccari, Felipe Lima Pinheiro, Ivan Nunes, Luiz Eduardo Anelli, Octávio Mateus and Fabiana Rodrigues Costa, 25 August of 2021, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371 / journal.pone.0254789
Funding: FLP is supported by grants from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq process nºs 407969 / 2016-0, 305758 / 2017-9) and the Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS process nº 16 / 2551-0000271-1). OM is supported by grants from GeoBioTec-GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering NEW [GeoBioCiências, GeoTecnologias e GeoEngenharias], UIDB Scholarship / 04035/2020 by the Foundation for Science and Technology. The FRC is supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for support (process nº 421772/2018-2).
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