Fossil Reveals Cretaceous Predators in a Gruesome Food Chain

WHO:

NY Post - Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester in the UK, commented on the discovery.

ScienceAlert - Matt White, a paleontologist at the University of New England, provided insights on the findings.

WHAT:

NY Post - A fossil was discovered that shows a three-tier predator interaction involving a flying dinosaur, a 23-foot reptile, and a 40-foot monster.

ScienceAlert - The fossil captures a flying reptile being eaten by a marine predator, which was then consumed by a larger sea monster.

ScienceAlert - The marine reptile, identified as Platypterygius australis, was estimated to be about 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 feet) long.

ScienceAlert - The discovery marks the first direct evidence that pterosaurs were part of the diet of ichthyosaurs.

WHERE:

ScienceAlert - The fossil was found in the Australian outback, which was once covered by the Eromanga Sea during the early Cretaceous period.

WHEN:

ScienceAlert - The fossil record indicates that this event occurred over 100 million years ago.

WHY:

ScienceAlert - The discovery provides insights into the ancient food web and predator interactions in Australia's Cretaceous seas.

HOW:

ScienceAlert - Paleontologists analyzed the fossilized stomach contents of Platypterygius, which included fish bones, shells, and two pieces of a pterosaur jawbone.

ScienceAlert - Neutron tomography scans were used to examine the fossilized stomach contents.

ScienceAlert - The injuries found on the Platypterygius skeleton suggest it died a violent death, likely caused by the giant pliosaur Kronosaurus queenslandicus, which was known to be the apex predator of its time.

(UPDATED July 30, 2026 19:32 UTC)

A remarkable fossil discovery in the Australian outback reveals a complex three-tier predator interaction involving a flying dinosaur, a 23-foot marine reptile known as Platypterygius australis, and a massive sea monster. This finding marks the first direct evidence that pterosaurs were part of the diet of ichthyosaurs, providing valuable insights into the ancient food web of Australia's Cretaceous seas. Paleontologists analyzed the fossilized stomach contents, which included fish bones and pieces of a pterosaur jawbone, and found injuries on the Platypterygius skeleton that suggest it met a violent end, likely at the jaws of the giant pliosaur Kronosaurus queenslandicus.