Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Palaeobiology

Argentinian unhatched pterosaur fossil

New pterosaur-egg features add to our understanding of these extinct flying reptiles.

Abstract

Our knowledge of the eggs and embryos of pterosaurs, the Mesozoic flying reptiles, is sparse. Until now, the recent discovery of an ornithocheirid embryo from 121-million-year-old rocks in China1 constituted the only reliable evidence of an unhatched pterosaur. Here we describe an embryonic fossil of a different pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous lacustrine deposits of Loma del Pterodaustro (the Lagarcito Formation, which is about 100 million years old) in central Argentina. This new fossil provides insight into the eggshell morphology, early growth and nesting environments of pterosaurs.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Purchase on Springer Link

Instant access to full article PDF

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Shell around a pterosaurian embryo from the Early Cretaceous period in Argentina (specimen MHIN-UNSL-GEO-V 246).

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wang, X. & Zhou, Z. Nature 429, 621 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bennett, S. C. Paleobiology 19, 92–106 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wellnhofer, P. Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. NF 141, 1–133 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Starck, J. M. in Current Ornithology Vol. 10 (ed. Power, D. M.) 275–366 (Plenum, New York, 1993).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Sereno, P. Mem. Soc. Vert. Paleontol. 2, 1–53 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kellner, A. W. A. in Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs (eds Buffetaut, E. & Mazin, J. M.) 105–138 (Geol. Soc. Sp. Publ. 217, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Unwin, D. M. in Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs (eds Buffetaut, E. & Mazin, J. M.) 139–190 (Geol. Soc. Sp. Publ. 217, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chiappe, L. M., Kellner, A., Rivarola, D., Davila, S. & Fox, M. Contr. Sci. 483, 1–19 (2000).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Codorniú, L. & Chiappe, L. M. Can. J. Earth Sci. 41, 9–18 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Board, G. B. & Sparks, N. H. C. in Egg Incubation: Its Effects on Embryonic Development in Birds and Reptiles (eds Deeming, C. D. & Ferguson, M. W. J.) 71–86 (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Mikhailov, K. E. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles Cnty Sci. Ser. 36, 361–373 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Schleich, H. & Kästle, W. Reptile Egg-Shells SEM Atlas (Fisher, Stuttgart, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  13. de Ricqlés, A. et al. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 129, 349–385 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis M. Chiappe.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chiappe, L., Codorniú, L., Grellet-Tinner, G. et al. Argentinian unhatched pterosaur fossil. Nature 432, 571–572 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/432571a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/432571a

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing