Rare Fossil Reveals Three-Tier Food Chain: Pterosaur, Ichthyosaur, Pliosaur

A remarkable fossil from the Early Cretaceous period, found in Queensland, Australia, offers the first proof of a pterosaur being preyed upon by an ichthyosaur, which was subsequently partially devoured by a pliosaur. Discovered in August 2019 by fossil enthusiasts Mike and Cathy Freeman, along with Gary and Barb Flewelling near Richmond, the fossil, dubbed B.O.B. (bag of bones), was later donated to the Kronosaurus Korner museum. In 2022, curator Kevin Petersen uncovered the complete skeleton, identifying it as a large ichthyosaur of the species Platypterygius australis, measuring between 19 to 23 feet. The ichthyosaur exhibited severe injuries, including fractured vertebrae and bite marks, likely inflicted by a Kronosaurus queenslandicus, known as the 'T. rex of the ocean.' Three-dimensional imaging revealed remnants in its stomach, such as fish, cephalopods, and pterosaur bones, suggesting it had consumed a pterosaur before its own attack. This research, spearheaded by Matt White from the University of New England, was published in Gondwana Research on July 27, shedding light on the marine ecosystem of the Eromanga Sea, which once spanned a third of Australia. Paleobiologist David Unwin from the University of Leicester remarked that the ichthyosaur was a 'super-scavenger of the seas.'