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Limestone slabs recovered in a police raid in Brazil in 2013 have revealed the most complete fossil of a pterosaur species ever found, providing new details about how flying reptiles looked and behaved 110 million years ago.
This discovery also highlights the problem of scientific colonialism – the removal (and sometimes outright stealing) of items of scientific value from their countries of origin by fossil traders or more developed countries. Brazil and other countries that have historically taken or shipped their fossils to other countries now have the infrastructure to handle and examine them responsibly and should provide benefits such as scientific discovery and tourism, according to the authors of a new report on the fossil. with a rich national cache of fossils.
According to Victor Beccari, a graduate student and lead author of the study, the raid on a port near São Paulo resulted in the seizure of about 3,000 fossils, including many fish and insects. published this week in PLOS ONE. The centerpiece was the nearly complete skeleton of the pterosaur species Tupandactylus navigans, preserved in six limestone slabs.
The odd ball creep must be very impressive to behold. With a giant, mohawk-style crest, a birdlike beak, and a body covered in something quite fur-like but not quite fur, the pterosaur probably stood out even among other exotic creatures of the early Cretaceous Period. Its wide wingspan almost certainly meant it flew, but probably only flew for short distances, due to its long neck and broad crest. They likely spent a lot of time on the ground foraging for food, the researchers say.
The crest the researchers suspected was a blessing and a curse. Individuals with larger-than-average titles may be more likely to attract a mate. Bargain? More vulnerability to predators. (Die young and leave a nice corpse maybe.)
Pterosaur fossils are rare. Researchers say their bones are even more fragile than birds.
A lake of fluctuating salinity, created when Africa and Brazil split, was ideal for fossil preservation. Researchers can reach many fish preserved with their internal organs from that region. Mr. Beccari suspects that the pterosaur specimens may have died near the lake or by a river that had dragged the body into the lake.
“We think there is no oxygen at the bottom of the lake, so no animal or bacteria can rot the animal,” Mr. Beccari said. “If it managed to reach this part of the lake, it would be safe from rot.”
Brazilian authorities had to resolve legal issues regarding exactly where to send the fossil. It was found in the northeastern part of Brazil, but was recovered in São Paulo in the southeastern part of the country. It was eventually awarded to the University of São Paulo and in 2016 began working with Mr. Beccari, then an undergraduate student, and a research team.
Paleontologist David Hone of Queen Mary University of London, who was not part of the research team, said there were “no big surprises” in the new paper, but it did provide a more complete anatomical description of the species. Previously it was “only known for one skull,” he said, “now we have the whole animal.”
“An amazing fossil,” he continued. “This band is known for their giant head crest. It’s big and ridiculous even by these standards, which is pretty neat indeed.”
Dr. The most important part of the research for Hone is that it has happened. “Fossil smuggling from Brazil is a big problem for science,” he said.
As an example of Brazil’s rejection by scientific colonialism, Mr. Beccari pointed to places in the United States, such as Wyoming or Utah, where famous treasures of dinosaur fossils “bring thousands of tourists each year.”
“Now that we have 3D models and other technologies to study this animal, there is no reason for this animal to leave our country,” Beccari said. “If it stays in the country, it will attract tourism and more people will come in contact with their heritage. That’s good for science, too.”
Dr. Hone noted that movie stars and other wealthy people paid large sums to display the fossils on their walls. A few years ago, actor Nicolas Cage returned the skull of a Tyrannosaurus bat to Mongolia After contacting the Department of Homeland Security.
Dr. “This is one specimen that would likely be smuggled or sold illegally,” Hone said of the pterosaur, “and is now in a museum and available for research.”
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