Australian Fossil Shows 7-Meter Ichthyosaur Ate Pterosaur Before 14-Meter Kronosaurus Attack
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 4
Australian Fossil Shows 7-Meter Ichthyosaur Ate Pterosaur Before 14-Meter Kronosaurus Attack
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 4
Summary
Queensland researchers reported a single Cretaceous fossil showing a 7-meter ichthyosaur had pterosaur remains in its stomach before a massive predator tore through its midsection.
CT scans of the 2019 “Bag of Bones” find revealed the first known evidence of an ichthyosaur eating a pterosaur, suggesting the marine reptile fed opportunistically rather than only on fish and cephalopods.
Nearly half the spine was fractured in a huge bite pattern resembling crocodile attacks, leading the team to infer a giant pliosaur—likely Kronosaurus queenslandicus, which could reach 14 meters—killed or scavenged the animal.
The study, published in Gondwana Research, cannot reconstruct the exact sequence of events, but adds rare direct evidence of complex predator-prey interactions in ancient seas.