Look: With a mouth full of teeth, this Pterosaur ate like a whale

Jennifer Walter Jan. 24, 2023 Chomp chomp Filter-feeding isn’t a new invention. Megan Jacobs

Sergey Krasovskiy/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images Pterosaurs are well known for their colossal wingspans and decorative head crests.

But rarely do they boast impressive mouthfuls of pearly whites.

A newly-discovered pterosaur species had at least 480 teeth in its long, spatula-shaped beak. Megan Jacobs

Writing last week in the journal Paläontologische Zeitschrift, researchers detail the discovery of its nearly complete skeleton from a quarry in Germany.

Called Balaenognathus maeuseri, the species’ generic (first) name means “bowhead whale jaw” in Latin.

It was discovered by accident. Researchers were digging for crocodile bones when they stumbled upon the pterosaur. kampee patisena/Moment/Getty Images

Its remains were tucked inside a limestone slab and date back to the Late Jurassic period.

Martill et. al/PalZ The pterosaur’s teeth were long and skinny, which helped it feed like bowheads and other species of baleen whales.

Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images/Moment/Getty Images Baleen whales do not have teeth, but rather rows of fine bristles made of keratin. They feed by filtering out mouthfuls of water to trap prey — which would have been a similar technique to Balaenognathus.

Some ducks are also filter-feeders, holding onto prey with teeth-like structures called lamellae.

Ashley Cooper/Corbis/Getty Images

The opening at the end of Balaenognathus’ beak would have allowed it to suck up water and expel it out the sides.

“...some of the teeth have a hook on the end, which we’ve never seen before in a pterosaur ever.

Martill et. al/PalZ -David Martill, primary study author, in a press release.

Only one other pterosaur species is known to have more teeth than Balaenognathus.

Pterodaustro, which lived in modern-day Argentina, boasted a mouthful of 1,000 chompers. DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/De Agostini/Getty Images

Megan Jacobs But Balaenognathus’ skinny, hooked teeth are unique to its species — and showcase a feeding style that still exists in many animals today.