Baby's Fatal Encounter with Flying Saurids Amidst Stormy Conditions in Bavaria

In a groundbreaking discovery, a team of British researchers, led by Robert Smyth of the University of Leicester, have unearthed the fossils of two miniature Pterodactylus babies in the Solnhofen lagoon of Bavaria. These hatchlings, less than 20 centimeters in wingspan, were preserved over 150 million years ago due to a storm that occurred in the Jurassic period.

The tiny bodies of the hatchlings, smaller than a house mouse, sank to the seafloor and were quickly covered by fine, calcareous sediment stirred up by the storm. This preservation method has resulted in the discovery of hundreds of well-preserved Pterosaur fossils in the limestone plates of Solnhofen.

The research team proposes that the severely injured hatchlings may have plunged into the lagoon during a tropical storm and drowned. The discovery of "Lucky" and "Lucky II" might be indicative of a larger pattern in the Solnhofen lagoon's history, suggesting that it may have been a significant site for the loss of small Pterosaurs during storms.

For centuries, scientists believed that the ecosystems of the Solnhofen lagoon were dominated by small Pterosaurs. However, adult Pterosaurs were rarely found in the lagoon, and when they were, it was only in fragments. Larger animals might have been better able to withstand the forces of nature.

The strong rotational force, likely caused by powerful gusts of wind rather than a collision with a hard surface, is evident in the unusual fracture of the upper arm bone of the infants. This fracture pattern suggests that the two Pterodactylus babies may have been victims of a tropical storm.

However, Robert Smyth, the lead researcher, cautions against drawing definitive conclusions. He suggests that further research is needed to fully understand the role of the Solnhofen lagoon in the Jurassic Pterosaur population.

The research team published their findings in the journal "Current Biology". The Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology discovered the fossils of the two mini-pterosaurs, and the discovery was published in 2022. The Solnhofen lagoon may hold many more secrets about the Jurassic period, and these tiny Pterodactylus babies could be just the beginning of a new chapter in our understanding of this fascinating era.