Traços de mordidas em osso de dinossauro da Formação São José do Rio Preto, Bacia Bauru, Cretáceo Superior, Brasil
Abstract
By studying fossil bite traces, we can reconstruct the behaviour of extinct organisms
and better understand past communities, ecology, and ecosystems. Herein we analyse
bite traces on a fragmented sauropod rib from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bauru
Basin, southeastern Brazil. The fossil was collected in the Ibirá municipality region,
São Paulo State, in the strata of the São José do Rio Preto Formation (Santonian-?
Maastrichtian). The analysed specimen displays nine tooth drag traces on its external
surface, produced between six and seven biting events. The traces consist of shallow
linear grooves, with tapered ends and a serrated or smooth edge morphology. They
can be classified as Linichnus serratus, Linichnus bromleyi, and Knethichnus
parallelum and were produced by an organism with ziphodont dentition, most probably
an Abelisauridae. These are the first feeding traces evidences the interaction between
theropods and Titanosauriformes in this geological context. This work adds to the
knowledge of the Bauru Basin palaeoecology and palaeobiology and expands the
record of Mordichnia of Gondwana
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