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Paleontologists from China and Brazil state they have actually discovered an overall of 320 phytoliths– tiny, stiff bodies made from mineral deposits that form inside plant cells– inside the fossilized stomach of a pterosaur types called Sinopterus atavismus
Life restoration of Sinopterus atavismusImage credit: Maurilio Oliveira/ Science China Press.
Pterosaurs, a group of extinct reptiles from the Mesozoic Era, were the earliest vertebrates to progress powered flight abilities.
Amongst the a number of concerns surrounding these flying reptiles is their dietary practices, which stay inadequately comprehended.
Numerous dietary hypotheses have actually been proposed for various pterosaur groups, incorporating insectivory, piscivory, carnivory, durophagy, herbivory/frugivory, filter-feeding, and generalist diet plans.
As commonly recognized, an incontrovertible piece of proof is stomach contents, which are very unusual.
The existence of scales associated with the ribcage of Eudimorphodon from the Late Triassic of Italy, there are just 5 validated cases of pterosaur stomach contents reported, all associated to Rhamphorhynchus from the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone of Germany.
They are generally made up of fish stays, with some unknown items.
In a brand-new research study, Dr. Xiaolin Wang from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and associates took a look at the fossilized stomach contents of Sinopterus atavismusa types of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur that resided in China around 120 million years earlier.
They identified many little gastroliths within the stomach material and drawn out 320 phytoliths from a little piece of the material.
“Phytoliths are tiny silica structures formed throughout plant development, showing unique morphologies throughout plant types and even within various parts of the exact same plant,” the paleontologists stated.
“This discovery marks both the very first phytolith extraction from any pterosaur and the 2nd recorded pterosaur specimen consisting of gastroliths.”
The specimen of Sinopterus atavismusImage credit: Jiang et aldoi: 10.1016/ j.scib.2025.06.040.
To validate that Sinopterus atavismus was really a plant-eater, the scientists checked out other possible descriptions.
“First, we dismissed contamination by revealing that the surrounding rock consisted of none of the phytoliths discovered in the stomach,”they stated.
“Next, we thought about whether the plant product may have originated from consuming other plant-consuming animals.”
“But Sinopterus atavismus had a quick, bird-like metabolic process– if it had actually consumed vertebrates or pests, some traces like bones, scales, or difficult pest shells would have stayed in its stomach, yet none existed.”
“The concept that it consumed soft-bodied animals like caterpillars likewise didn’t hold up: why would it require many stomach stones if it wasn’t grinding difficult food?”
“These stones are normally utilized by animals to break down tough products like pest shells or plants, making them unneeded for absorbing soft victim.”
“Finally, earlier research studies of Tapejara wellnhoferi — a close relative of Sinopterus atavismus — revealed it had actually strong jaws matched for plant-eating, more supporting this conclusion.”
“Therefore, the phytoliths represent direct dietary consumption, while the gastroliths worked as grinding tools for plant product processing.”
The group’s paper was released in the October 15, 2025 problem of the journal Science Bulletin
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Shunxing Jiang et al2025. Event of phytoliths in pterosaurs– proof for herbivory. Science Bulletin 70 (19 ): 3134-3138; doi: 10.1016/ j.scib.2025.06.040
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