Silvina
de Valais, Sebastián Apesteguía, Alberto C. Garrido
Ecological
relationships among fossil vertebrate groups are interpreted based on evidence
of modification features and paleopathologies on fossil bones. Here we describe
an ichnological assemblage composed of trace fossils on reptile bones, mainly
sphenodontids, crocodyliforms and maniraptoran theropods. They all come from La
Buitrera, an early Late Cretaceous locality in the Candeleros Formation of
northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This locality is significant because of the
abundance of small to medium-sized vertebrates. The abundant ichnological
record includes traces on bones, most of them attributable to tetrapods. These
latter traces include tooth marks that provide evidence of feeding activities
made during the sub-aerial exposure of tetrapod carcasses. Other traces are
attributable to arthropods or roots. The totality of evidence provides an
uncommon insight into paleoecological aspects of a Late Cretaceous southern
ecosystem.
de Valais S, Apesteguía S,
Garrido AC (2012) Cretaceous Small Scavengers: Feeding Traces in Tetrapod Bones
from Patagonia, Argentina. PLoS ONE 7(1): e29841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029841
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