Taking Flight—Brazilian Dinosaur Boneyard Reveals New Flying Reptile Species

In a recent discovery that proved to be equal parts terrifying and equal parts fascinating, Brazilian paleontologists uncovered a fossil bed in the southern Cruzeiro do Oeste region of Brazil which proved to be remnants of a newly discovered flying reptile species-Caiuajara dobruskii.

Related to the well-known clade of dinosaurs Pterodactyloidea, Caiuajara dobruskii provides new insights into the social creatures that dominated the skies of the Cretaceous period, extinct now for nearly 66 million years. Found in what researchers are calling a lake deposit of a Cretaceous period desert, the species was named after the Caiuá rock formations where they were laid to rest and a local farmer (Dobruski) who led to their discovery.

"Here we describe a rare pterosaur bone bed composed of hundreds of bones from the outskirts of Cruzeiro do Oeste, southern Brazil" co-author for the paper published in journal PLOS ONE this morning, Alexander Kellner said. "This exceptional occurrence, combined with the large number of three-dimensionally preserved individuals, sheds new light on the biology of those rather enigmatic animals."

In the 215 square foot fossil bed, researchers discovered hundreds of bone fragments from juveniles and adults of the species, and due to the excellent and rather rare conditions under which the species was fossilized, the 3D structures of the individuals were left intact-giving Kellner's team a better understanding of the physiology of the species.

With wingspans reaching to 7.71 feet, and large facial crests that resembled the fragile wings of a Monarch Butterfly, bony ridges and uniquely shaped projections indicated to researchers that the pterosaurs found were that of an entirely new species.

Beautiful artistic renderings of the species has sparked interest in the general population, as the crests protruding from the top of Caiuajara dobruskii's heads appear to be something similar to a butterfly's wings, however, researchers believe that the ornate appendages may have served a greater purpose than merely being ornamental or warning markings.

"Some researchers think that the crests were only display structures, others envision them as being a form of sexual dimorphism-males have them, females don't. Personally, I think it was a mix of different functions" Kellner said.

Aside from adding to the fossil record and giving paleontologists a much clearer view of physiological features of pterosaurs, the discovery and circumstances behind the creatures' fossilization indicate a great social structure of the species to researchers-confirming general theories believed throughout the field. Although much information has been gained from the excavation, researchers continue to study the complex remnants in hopes of gaining an even clearer view of the species.

"The available information suggests that this species [Caiuajara dobruskii] was gregarious, living in colonies and most likely precocial-being able to fly at a very young age" Kellner says. "The causes of death remain unknown, although similarities with dinosaur drought-related mortality are striking. However, it is also possible that desert storms could have been responsible for the occasional demise of these pterosaurs."