A Graveyard for flying reptiles
In the Araripe Basin of northeastern Brazil lies a geological unit called the Romualdo Formation. Dating to the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 110-113 million years ago, its layers hold one of the world's most detailed collections of pterosaur fossils. This location is a Lagerstätte, a sedimentary deposit with extraordinary fossil preservation. The unique conditions of a coastal lagoon, with low-oxygen water and rapid mineralization, preserved bone and soft tissues as well.
The most famous pterosaur from this formation is Anhanguera, a genus of fish-eating flying reptiles. The name comes from the Tupi language and means "old devil." The type species, Anhanguera blittersdorffi, had a wingspan of about 4.5 meters (15 feet). Its long skull, up to 60 cm in length, featured distinctive semicircular crests on the top and bottom of its snout and a fearsome set of conical teeth perfect for snatching fish from the proto-Atlantic ocean. These pterosaurs are found encased in limestone nodules, which miners and paleontologists split open to reveal the three-dimensionally preserved skeletons inside.
