A team of researchers studied fossilized dinosaur dung to understand the rise of these giant creatures.
They were here long before us: the dinosaurs. Despite their distant extinction, research continues to understand the life of these prehistoric animals, which ruled the Earth for 160 million years. If discoveries have multiplied on their disappearance, their rise is still relatively unknown. This is why a recent study published in Nature analyzed fossilized dinosaur droppings, called coprolites, collected in southern Poland. The remains collected date back to a period ranging from the Upper Triassic to the beginning of the Jurassic, between 247 and 200 million years ago.
This research made it possible to learn more about their diet, and therefore their survival system. Using high-intensity X-rays, the team of researchers was able to determine the remains of food found in the coprolites. “Our research is innovative because we chose to understand the biology of early dinosaurs based on their dietary preferences. Along the way, we made many surprising discoveries,” Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki, a researcher at the Department of Biology, said in a statement. organizations and lead author of the study.
In particular, they discovered remains of insects or fish in the excrement. The first dinosaurs were rather omnivorous and far from being at the top of the food chain compared to reptiles. At the end of the Triassic era, the climate became warmer and more humid, allowing the development of luxuriant vegetation. So, at that time, their diet was more herbivorous, as shown by the fern and charcoal present in their coprolites. This abundance caused them to evolve, with some reaching a weight of several dozen tons and record sizes. Large herbivorous dinosaurs, such as Diplodocus and Supersaurus, then flourished. This gigantism was one of the means of imposing itself, while other species were weakening.
The researchers deduced that the dinosaurs’ adaptability in terms of food was one of their strong points for survival in the face of a changing environment. “The way to avoid extinction was to eat lots of plants, which is exactly what the first herbivorous dinosaurs did. The reason for their evolutionary success is a true love for fresh, green plant shoots,” added Niedzwiedzki.