🦖 A hitherto unknown species discovered in dinosaur vomit

A neglected fossil in the reserves of a Brazilian museum has just revealed a remarkable discovery. This accumulation of bones and fish, regurgitated by a predator about 110 million years ago, contains the remains of a species of pterosaur previously unknown in tropical latitudes.

The examination of this fossilized mass, carried out in 2024 by researchers from Brazilian universities, made its identification possible. Preserved in a museum collection, the aggregate contains two small pterosaurs and four fish. The study's results, published in Scientific Reports, name these pterosaurs Bakiribu waridza and indicate they fed by filter-feeding.


Pterosaurs like Bakiribu waridza are characterized by rows of fine, closely spaced teeth, resembling a comb. This arrangement allowed them to filter water to capture small organisms, such as crustaceans. This type of feeding is usually associated with freshwater environments, making their presence in the Araripe Basin, a coastal area at the time, particularly unexpected.

The Araripe Basin, located in northeastern Brazil, is a small region but renowned for the exceptional preservation of its fossils. Without the regurgitation event that deposited these remains, the Bakiribu waridza species would likely have remained unknown. Local conditions allowed for fossilization, offering a rare glimpse into an ancient ecosystem and its interactions.

The orientation of the bones and fish in the fossil provides clues about the responsible predator. All specimens point in the same direction, indicating they were swallowed head first. A spinosaurid dinosaur, such as Irritator challengeri, is the most likely candidate, as these animals were adapted to piscivorous diets and could consume pterosaurs.

This fossil was rediscovered in the collection of the Câmara Cascudo Museum. A student noticed it among other fish fossils. Following its identification, a team of specialists quickly mobilized to study it, leading to the description of this new species.