A pteranodontid wing with traces of extensive invertebrate scavenging from the Pierre Shale (Sharon Springs Member, Campanian–Maastrichtian), east central Wyoming (Niobrara County)

Abstract

Here we report the associated and semi-articulated partial wing of a mid-sized pterosaur from an exposure of the Pierre Shale, in east central Wyoming. All elements suffer from compaction but are identified as those of a pteranodontid based on the warped deltopectoral crest. Most probably, the wing is that of Pteranodon longiceps, although the length of the ulna and of the metacarpal IV relative to that of the humerus slightly exceeds that reported from any previously documented Pteranodon specimen. The surfaces of all wing elements are littered with circular indentations, ranging from 1.1 to 6.8 mm in diameter. These indentations formed postmortem and appear to be borings left by invertebrate scavengers.