Evidence for the Cretaceous sharkCretoxyrhina mantellifeeding on the pterosaurPteranodonfrom the Niobrara Formation

Abstract

A cervical vertebra of the large, pelagic pterodactyloid pterosaurPteranodonsp. from the Late Cretaceous Niobrara Formation of Kansas, USA is significant for its association with a tooth from the large lamniform shark,Cretoxyrhina mantelli. Though the tooth does not pierce the vertebral periosteum, the intimate association of the fossils—in which the tooth is wedged below the left prezygapophysis—suggests their preservation together was not mere chance, and the specimen is evidence ofCretoxyrhinabitingPteranodon. It is not possible to infer whether the bite reflects predatory or scavenging behaviour from the preserved material. There are several records ofPteranodonhaving been consumed by other fish, including other sharks (specifically, the anacoracidSqualicorax kaupi), and multiple records ofCretoxyrhinabiting other vertebrates of the Western Interior Seaway, but until now interactions betweenCretoxyrhinaandPteranodonhave remained elusive. The specimen increases the known interactions between large, pelagic, vertebrate carnivores of the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous, in addition to bolstering the relatively small fossil record representing pterosaurian interactions with other species.