Named Bakirib Waliza, this newly identified species is the first filter-feeding pterosaur documented to inhabit the tropics.
Artistic reconstruction of the filter-feeding pterosaur Bakirib Waliza in an Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation environment. The spinosaurid dinosaur in the background represents a potential predator of Bakirib Waliza. Image credit: Julio Lacerda.
Bakirib Waliza thrived in the tropical latitudes of the Gondwana supercontinent during the Early Cretaceous, approximately 113 million years ago.
This ancient flying reptile belongs to the pterosaur group Pterosaurini, part of the clade Ctenochasmatidae.
“Ctenochasmatidae is a clade of pterosaurs that thrived from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous period,” stated Dr. Aline Ghirardi from the University Nordic of the Rio Grande and her colleagues.
“Recent findings have illuminated the diversity and ecological adaptations of this group, especially through analysis of new fossil specimens from various geographic areas and geological epochs.”
“These pterosaurs exhibit a remarkable evolutionary path, showcasing diverse morphological adaptations and extensive geographic distribution.”
“Recent revelations in China, South America, and Europe have significantly enhanced our understanding of their ecology, revealing the dynamic evolutionary history of this lineage.”
“Ctenochasmatids predominantly flourished from the Late Jurassic to the Barremian, but their numbers gradually waned towards the late Early Cretaceous,” the researchers noted.
“There remains limited knowledge about later species and how their lineages evolved and dispersed between Laurasia and Gondwana.”
The researchers suggested that Bakirib Waliza had an elongated jaw and dense, brush-like teeth, akin to the Ctenokasmatine pterosaurs like Pterodaustro, though the teeth’s cross-section and spacing differ significantly.
“Within the Ctenochasmatidae, the subfamily is recognized for its elongated snouts and numerous fine teeth, traits linked to a distinct feeding strategy,” the researchers stated.
“The evolutionary path of this group has been clarified by discoveries such as Riodactylus primus from the Late Jurassic of Liaoning Province, China, which indicates a significant ecological transition from fishing to filter-feeding within this clade.”
“Extreme examples can be noted in Pterodaustro ginazui, which features a lower jaw outfitted with 1,000 elongated, whisker-like teeth.”
“The extreme morphology of Pterodaustro illustrates a high degree of specialization for filter feeding.”
The two fossil specimens of Bakirib Waliza were uncovered in calcareous concretions within the Romualdo Formation in Brazil’s Araripe Basin.
This sedimentary matrix also contained remains of four fish, likely teleosts from the Early Cretaceous period, such as Thalias.
“Pterosaurs and fish were preserved in wackestone deposits, known for their abundant oriented ostracods and foraminifera, typical of other Romualdo Formation deposits,” the scientists remarked.
“The presence of densely packed, semi-articulated, fragmented pterosaur bones (mainly in subparallel orientation) alongside similarly arranged fish schools suggests that this collection is a regurgitalite—a mass of indigestible material expelled from a predator’s mouth.”
Bakirib Waliza possessed a mosaic of traits found in both its South American and European relatives.
“Its distinctive anatomical features, especially the highly elongated jaws and densely packed dentition with elongated teeth, tooth crowns that are nearly quadrangular in cross-section, along with acrodont-like tooth implants in both jaws, provide new insights into the evolutionary trajectory of filter-feeding pterosaurs,” the authors noted.
“The exceptional preservation of this specimen within the regurgitalite, alongside a fully intact fish, offers scarce direct evidence of trophic interactions in the Early Cretaceous Araripe paleoecosystem.”
“This finding not only bridges a paleobiogeographic gap in Ctenochasmatinae distribution but also emphasizes the significance of understudied and long-held museum specimens in uncovering important evolutionary and paleoecological insights.”
“Evidence is accumulating that the Araripe Basin acted as a crucial window into Early Cretaceous biodiversity, ecological intricacies, and continental-scale faunal interactions.”
The research team’s paper was published in the journal on November 10, 2025, in Scientific Reports.
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RV Pegas et al. 2025. Regurgitalites reveal a new filter-feeding pterosaur of the Santana group. Scientific Reports 15, 37336; doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-22983-3
Source: www.sci.news
