Lu, Junchang and Unwin, David M. and Deeming, D. Charles and Jin, Xingsheng and Liu, Yongqing and Ji, Qiang (2011) An egg-adult association and its implications for gender and reproduction in pterosaurs. Science, 331 (6015). pp. 321-324. ISSN 0193-4511

	PDF #157_Lu_et_al._Science.pdf - Whole Document Restricted to Repository staff only Download (1171Kb)
	PDF #157_Lu_et_al._Science_SOM.pdf - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (184Kb)

Abstract

A sexually mature individual of Darwinopterus preserved together with an egg from the Jurassic of China provides the first direct evidence of gender in pterosaurs and unique insights into the reproductive biology of these extinct fliers. The new find and several other examples of Darwinopterus demonstrate that males of this pterosaur had relatively small pelves and a large cranial crest, while females had relatively large pelves and no crest. The egg mass/adult mass index is relatively low, as in extant reptiles, and comparable to values for squamates. A parchment-like eggshell points to burial and significant uptake of water post oviposition. This “low investment strategy” contradicts the widespread assumption that reproduction in pterosaurs was like that of birds and shows that it was essentially reptilian.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Pterosaur, Egg, Reproduction, sexual dimorphism, ref06, refdoi
Subjects:	F Physical Sciences > F641 Palaeontology C Biological Sciences > C100 Biology
Divisions:	College of Sciences > Faculty of Science > School of Life Sciences
Depositing User:	Charles Deeming
Date Deposited:	27 Jan 2011 22:10
Last Modified:	07 May 2013 15:07
URI:	http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/3898

Actions (login required)

View Item