US EditionFirst Plant-Eating Pterosaur Confirmed by Fossil Find
Discovery of over 300 phytoliths and gastroliths in Sinopterus stomach confirms herbivory, resolving long-standing debates on pterosaur diets, researchers said.
- On July 1, 2025 a paper in Science Bulletin reported the first direct evidence that some pterosaurs ate plants, based on Sinopterus atavismus from northeastern China’s Jiufotang Formation.
- Scarcity of direct stomach evidence has left pterosaur diets controversial for decades, and researchers long proposed multiple feeding modes— insectivory, piscivory, filter‑feeding or herbivory—based mainly on anatomical inferences.
- CT scanning showed a 7.7‑cm stomach mass in the Sinopterus specimen and researchers extracted 320 phytoliths plus gastroliths, supporting plant consumption.
- The study concludes the authors of the study find some pterosaurs ate full plant meals, shedding new light on Mesozoic flying reptiles and renewing debate among paleontologists.
- After ruling out contamination, researchers said phytolith morphologies are too diverse for precise plant ID, urging more future specimens and continued China–Brazil collaboration.
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Is there any herbivorous pterosaur in the deep time?
Pterosaur is the first group of vertebrates with powered flight. It originated in the Late Triassic and became extinct with dinosaurs (excluding birds) at the end of the Cretaceous. Various diets of pterosaurs were proposed using different interpretations, such as content fossils and comparative anatomy. However, the understanding of the diets of many pterosaurs have still been on debate, which is mainly because of the rarity of stomach content …
New evidence from pterosaur's fossilized stomach helps settle longstanding debate about its diet
The Mesozoic pterosaur is considered to be the first vertebrate to achieve powered flight and new evidence, also the first of its kind, helps to pin down what exactly this flying reptile ate. Previously, scientists had trouble establishing a consensus on the pterosaur's diet. Some suggested meat-based or fish-based diets, while others believe the pterosaur ate plants, bugs, or even that the pterosaur was a filter-feeder.
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