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How we worked out a fossilised ‘pterosaur’ was actually a fish – new research

The Conversation · · 886 words · By David Unwin
Scientific accuracy and peer review in paleontology

The article discusses the history of fossil misidentification, using the discovery of 'Bakiribu' as a recent case study. Researchers analyzed the fossil and concluded that the supposed pterosaur teeth and associated bones were actually gill filaments and branchial structures belonging to a large fish, similar to a previous misidentification. The piece concludes by emphasizing that modern digital tools allow for the rapid correction of such scientific errors.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/how-we-worked-out-a-fossilised-pterosaur-was-actuall…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“Georges Cuvier, the 19th-century French anatomist who first recognised pterodactyls as flying reptiles, wrote that “of all the beings whose ancient existence has been revealed to us, [they are] the most extraordinary”.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms Georges Cuvier was a prominent 19th-century French naturalist and zoologist, and that he studied pterosaurs (as noted by the mention of a restoration sent to him in 1800). However, none of the provided evidence directly quotes him stating, 'of all the beings whose ancient existence has been revealed to us, [they are] the most extraordinary.' The claim relies on a specific quote that is not verifiable from the provided sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. Cuvier may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuvier_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georges-Frédéric Cuvier (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ fʁedeʁik kyvje]; 28 June 1773 – 24 July 1838) was a French zoologist and paleontologist. He was the younger brother of noted naturalist and zoologi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frédéric_Cuvier
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; French: [ʒɔʁʒ(ə) kyvje]), was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Cuvier
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Now known as pterosaurs, this extraordinarily diverse, highly successful group lived alongside dinosaurs for more than 150 million years, occupying habitats around rivers, lakes, coasts and even the open ocean.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia states that Pterosaurs existed during most of the Mesozoic, from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 million to 66 million years ago), which covers over 150 million years. The evidence also confirms they were highly diverse and lived in various environments, including those associated with the Mesozoic era.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pterodactylus (from Ancient Greek: πτεροδάκτυλος, romanized: pterodáktylos 'winged finger') is a genus of extinct pterosaurs. It is thought to contain only a single species, Pterodactylus antiquus, wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodactylus
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pterosaurs are an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 million to 66 million ye…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Quetzalcoatlus () is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous in North America. The type specimen, recovered in 1971 from the Javelina Formation o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“While some species were quite small (no bigger than a pigeon), a few evolved into flying giants with wingspans exceeding ten metres.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results corroborate the size variation. One source notes the smallest known species had a wingspan akin to a sparrow, while others, like Quetzalcoatlus, boasted wingspans exceeding 10 meters.
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web search NEUTRAL — Wide variation in Late Cretaceous pterosaur size, compared to birds and a human Pterosaurs were highly diverse in size, and some were the largest flying organisms in earth's history. [20][21] Early pt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur
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web search NEUTRAL — How Big Were Pterosaurs? Yes, Pterosaurs varied significantly in size. The smallest known species had a wingspan of about 250 millimeters, akin to a sparrow, while the largest, such as Quetzalcoatlus,…
https://adventuredinosaurs.com/how-big-were-pterosaurs/
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web search NEUTRAL — But later in their evolution, pterosaurs adapted to life on the ground, which allowed them to grow much larger, with some species developing wingspans of up to 10 meters.
https://knowridge.com/2024/10/how-pterosaurs-grew-from-tiny-…
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“Despite this, a surprisingly long list of fossils have been misidentified as pterosaurs – including a specimen of the earliest bird, Archaeopteryx, and an extinct aquatic reptile, Tanystropheus, which had extraordinarily long neck vertebrae like some pterosaurs.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that Archaeopteryx and Tanystropheus are notable fossils in paleontology. However, the provided search results do not contain a source explicitly stating that *both* fossils have been misidentified as pterosaurs in the context described by the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The largest prehistoric animals include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many of them are described below, along with their typical range of size (for the general dates of extinction, see the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_prehistoric_animals
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles that first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dinosaur_genera
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The list of lagerstätten which are sites that are characterized by exceptional preservation of fossil organisms, regularly preserving many well preserved animals, including soft tissue remains, which …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lagerstätten
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“One of the most renowned misidentifications occurred in 1939 when Ferdinand Broili, a Munich-based palaeontologist, described a new pterosaur, Belonochasma, based on what appeared to be the remains of jaws bearing hundreds of long, fine teeth.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that 1939 was a historical year and that Belonochasma is a genus described in that period. However, none of the provided search results contain the specific details regarding Ferdinand Broili describing *Belonochasma* based on jaws with hundreds of fine teeth in 1939.
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web search NEUTRAL — 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1939th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 939th year of the 2nd millennium, the 39th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939
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web search NEUTRAL — Historical events from year 1939. Learn about 388 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in 1939 or search by date or keyword.
https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1939
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 25, 2024 · Discover the most significant events of 1939, from world-changing political decisions to cultural milestones. Explore the key moments that shaped history during this pivotal year
https://takemeback.to/events/date/1939
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“Several decades later, Franz Mayr, founder of the Jura Museum in Eichstätt, Germany, recognised the true nature of these remains. The “teeth” were actually gill filaments.”
CORROBORATED
The evidence confirms that the 'teeth' were identified as gill filaments and that the Eichstätt Jura Museum is a key location. The web search results link the realization that the teeth were gill filaments to the context of *Belonochasma* and the Jura Museum.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx fossils from the quarries of Solnhofen limestone represent the most famous and well-known fossils from this area. They are highly significant to paleontology and avian evolution in that …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specimens_of_Archaeopteryx
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web search NEUTRAL — The “teeth” were actually gill filaments. More complete fossils, including remains of the body, showed unequivocally that Belonochasma was actually a fish. Back in the 1930s, it could be years before …
https://theconversation.com/how-we-worked-out-a-fossilised-p…
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web search NEUTRAL — Belonochasma aenigmaticum is assigned to the Late Jurassic epoch, specifically the Tithonian stage, based on its stratigraphic position within lithographic limestones of the upper Jurassic deposits in…
https://grokipedia.com/page/belonochasma
+ 1 more evidence source
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“More complete fossils, including remains of the body, showed unequivocally that Belonochasma was actually a fish.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results state that more complete fossils, including body remains, proved that *Belonochasma* was actually a fish, corroborating the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Belonochasma (meaning "needle mouth") is a genus of reptile from the Mesozoic (possibly Jurassic) of Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. [2] The type species, B. aenigmaticum, was described in 1939. [1][3] I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belonochasma
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The "teeth" were actually gill filaments. More complete fossils, including remains of the body, showed unequivocally that Belonochasma was actually a fish.
https://theconversation.com/how-we-worked-out-a-fossilised-p…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — More complete fossils, including remains of the body, showed unequivocally that Belonochasma was actually a fish. Back in the 1930s, it could be years before publications became widely known and decad…
https://www.inkl.com/news/how-we-worked-out-a-fossilised-pte…
info
“In November 2025, a team of Brazilian palaeontologists led by Rodrigo Pêgas, based in the Museum of Zoology at the University of São Paulo, described what they took to be a new pterosaur.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results contain a specific report detailing that in November 2025, a team led by Rodrigo Pêgas described a supposed new pterosaur. This specific future date and event are only present in the search snippets provided, making it a single-source report.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Galgadraco is an extinct genus of azhdarchid pterosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous Serra da Galga Formation of Brazil. The genus contains a single species, Galgadraco zephyrius, known from a fragm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galgadraco
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In November 2025, a team of Brazilian palaeontologists led by Rodrigo Pêgas, based in the Museum of Zoology at the University of São Paulo, described what they took to be a new pterosaur.
https://theconversation.com/how-we-worked-out-a-fossilised-p…
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web search NEUTRAL — Pêgas named the new species Torukjara bandeirae, after Brazilian paleontologist Kamila Bandeira, who was the first to notice taxonomic differences in the tapejarid pterosaurs and suggested Pêgas look …
https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/world/article28…
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“Bakiribu waridza had been found in 110 million-year-old Early Cretaceous rock of Araripe in northeast Brazil.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
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“This highly unusual fossil apparently comprised several small fish plus the remains of not one but two pterosaurs – each represented by what were claimed to be fragmentary remains of jaws, plus hundreds of fine teeth.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
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“Pêgas and colleagues speculated that these specimens were contained in dinosaur vomit (known as regurgitalite) so large that it could only have been produced by a huge predator – perhaps a Spinosaurus-like theropod dinosaur.”
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“Comparing our extensive collection of high-resolution digital photographs of pterosaur fossils with published images of Bakiribu, it appeared that its “teeth” did not extend along both sides of the jaw in symmetric fashion, as with all toothed pterosaurs.”
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“They also lacked a root, which is omnipresent in pterosaur teeth.”
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“Moreover, features such as dentine and dentine tubules, typical of pterosaur teeth, appeared to be absent.”
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“We also noticed that bone fragments associated with the supposed jaws did not match any cranial element of pterosaurs, and their coarse external texture was unlike the smooth finish typical of pterosaur bone.”
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“Comparing Bakiribu with the fossil remains of ancient bowfins discovered in the same rocks, and taking advantage of Cooper’s expertise in fossilised fish, we were able to identify the supposed teeth of Bakiribu as gill filaments, and the associated bony elements as branchials (structures that support the gills).”
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“Like Belonochasma, the Bakiribu fossil was in fact a collapsed gill arch of a large fish, preserved alongside two smaller fish.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.