Name: Filipe Gratz Cardozo
Type: MSc dissertation
Publication date: 02/09/2019
Advisor:

Name	Role
Gabriela Barbosa Sobral de Oliveira	Co-advisor *
Taissa Rodrigues Marques da Silva	Advisor *

Examining board:

Name	Role
Elisandra de Almeida Chiquito	Internal Alternate *
Fernanda Oliveira de Antônio	External Examiner *
Gabriela Barbosa Sobral de Oliveira	Co advisor *
Gabriel de Souza Ferreira	External Alternate *
Rodrigo Giesta Figueiredo	External Examiner *
Taissa Rodrigues Marques da Silva	Advisor *

Summary: ABSTRACT
The genus Pterodactylus (Pterosauria, Archaeopterodactyloidea) has a great historical importance
for housing the first pterosaur specimen described by science. However, even showing such an
importance, to this day its endocast was never studied before using X-ray CT-scan. With the
objective of describing its brain, in this study we tomographed the braincases of the holotypes of P.
antiquus (SNSB/BSPG AS I 739) and P. kochi (SNSB/BSPG AS XIX 3) and reconstructed the
endocasts digitally. We discovered that these organs were more similar to the ones of pterosaurs
from the clade Archaeopterodactyloidea, to which the genus belongs, than of other archosaurs and
showed adaptations to the flight such as well developed flocculus e optic lobes. Moreover, for the
first time we had a glimpse of the semicircular canals, unknown until then. By positioning the
lateral semicircular canal horizontally, we discovered that the holotype of P. antiquus kept an alert
posture of 17°. Finally, we compared informations about Pterodactylus to ones about other flying
archosaurs of the Solnhofen Archipelago available in literature and discovered that Pterodactylus
probably didn’t compete with them for the same resources.
Keywords: paleoneurology, neuroanatomy, digital endocasts, niche competition, Solnhofen
Archipelago, Upper Jurassic.