Pterosaur tooth found in rare ancient squid fossil

A new cephalopod fossil was unearthed with a surprising accessory: an embedded tooth. The fossilized evidence represents the first known that pterosaurs hunted cephalopods. Excavated in 2012 from a limestone formation in Bavaria, Germany, the fossil is a Plesioteuthis subovata cephalopod, a predecessor of today’s squids, octopuses and cuttlefish. The 11-inch-long creature was extremely well preserved with its ink sac and fins still partially intact. What is amazing is the tooth protruding from just below the animal’s head. Based on the size, shape and texture of the dentition, as well as its approximate age, researchers argue that it probably belonged to a Rhamphorhynchus muensteri pterosaur.

The mixed-species fossil immortalized a rare pterosaur-prey interaction and it is rare and unique.