It has more than 400 teeth.. Discovery of a new type of dinosaur with a beak similar to that of a duck
Scientists have discovered a new type of dinosaur in Germany that had more than 400 teeth, and it ate in a manner similar to ducks and flamingos, or also known as flamingos.
The nearly complete fossil, part of the pterosaur family, was found by chance in a Bavarian quarry, while scientists were excavating a large block of limestone containing crocodile bones.
Since the discovery of the first pterosaur in Bavarian limestone quarries in the eighteenth century, hundreds of remains of flying reptiles have been found, making the Franconian Jura in Bavaria one of the richest pterosaur sites in the world.
The research was led by Professor David Martell from the University of Portsmouth, Hampshire, and involved paleontologists from England, Germany and Mexico.
Professor Martell said: “The almost complete skeleton was found in a layer of very finely layered limestone which beautifully preserves the fossils. “The jaws of this pterosaur are really long and lined with small, fine teeth, with small spaces between them like a nit comb.”
He added: “The long jaw curves upwards like a sprat, and at the end it looks like a spoon-shaped beak.” “There are no teeth in the front of his mouth, but there are teeth along both jaws to the back.”
He continued: “What is most exciting is that some of the teeth have a hook at the end, which is something we have never seen before in pterosaurs at all.” "It may have been using these tiny hooks to catch small shrimp that the pterosaur was likely feeding on – making sure to swallow it without squeezing it between the teeth."
Source: websites