In Depth
Berthasaura seems to be a bit of a strange dinosaur as even though it has been considered to be a noasaurid theropod dinosaur, Berthasaura possessed a toothless beak. The description of Berthasaura is not actually the first time that a noasaurid theropod has been found without teeth, Limusaurus is also toothless and is known from the Late Jurassic period of China. Berthasaura however is even further specialised with its beak like form to its skull.
This casts immediate uncertainty as to what Berthasaura ate, as most other noasaurids seem to be dedicated carnivores. If Berthasaura was still a carnivore, it would perhaps be more likely to have swallowed small vertebrates like lizards whole, or picked at the carcasses of dead animals. Berthasaura might have even taken to herbivorous browsing, or followed an omnivorous lifestyle, eating whatever it could get. Only future discoveries with preserved stomach contents might be able to give a clearer picture.
The fossil site that Berthasaura is known from was a desert back in the Cretaceous. Further reading
- The first edentulous ceratosaur from South America”. Scientific Reports. 11 (1): Article number 22281. - Geovane Alves de Souza, Marina Bento Soares, Luiz Carlos Weinsch�tz, Everton Wilner, Ricardo Tadeu Lopes, Olga Maria Oliveira de Ara�jo & Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner - 2021.
