Sauropodomorphs were large herbivorous dinosaurs (Image: SWNS/Marcin Ambrozik)
Experts have gained extraordinary knowledge about thanks to their dung, it has been revealed.
By analysing fossilised faeces of the ancient reptiles, researchers have been able to identify “who ate whom” some 200 million years ago and shed some light on the time when they rose to dominate the planet.
Through the analysis of hundreds of samples of the animals’ faeces, in which they identified undigested food remains, plants, and prey, the experts gained insight into the structure of the ecosystems at the time when the dinosaurs began to dominate the planet.
The analysis was carried out by palaeontologists from the Uppsala University working with researchers from Norway, Poland and Hungary, who used advanced synchrotron imaging to visualise the hidden, internal parts of the fossilised faeces, known as coprolites, in detail. The findings were published in the journal Nature.
Study lead author Dr Martin Qvarnström, of Sweden’s Uppsala University, said: “Piecing together ‘who ate whom’ in the past is true detective work.
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Fossil faeces of the bone-crushing archosaur Smok (Image: Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki / SWNS)
“Being able to examine what animals ate and how they interacted with their environment helps us understand what enabled dinosaurs to be so successful.”
The study focused on a previously underexplored region in the northern parts of the then “supercontinent” Pangea.
The team of experts built up a detailed picture of the Triassic and Jurassic ecosystems – dating back about 230 to 200 million years ago – by combining the information from the coprolites with climate data and information from other fossils: plants, bite marks, vomit, footprints and bones.
Study senior author Dr Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki said: “The research material was collected over a period of 25 years. It took us many years to piece everything together into a coherent picture.
“Our research is innovative because we have chosen to understand the biology of early dinosaurs based on their dietary preferences. There were many surprising discoveries along the way.”
A coprolite fragment densely packed with fish bones, likely produced by the phytosaur Paleorhinus (Image: Martin Qvarnström / SWNS)
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“Being able to examine what animals ate and how they interacted with their environment helps us understand what enabled dinosaurs to be so successful.”
The study focused on a previously underexplored region in the northern parts of the then “supercontinent” Pangea.
The team of experts built up a detailed picture of the Triassic and Jurassic ecosystems – dating back about 230 to 200 million years ago – by combining the information from the coprolites with climate data and information from other fossils: plants, bite marks, vomit, footprints and bones.
Study senior author Dr Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki said: “The research material was collected over a period of 25 years. It took us many years to piece everything together into a coherent picture.
“Our research is innovative because we have chosen to understand the biology of early dinosaurs based on their dietary preferences. There were many surprising discoveries along the way.”
The new study results in a five-step model of dinosaur evolution that the researchers believe can explain global patterns. The research team emphasises that understanding how the first dinosaurs achieved their success can offer valuable insights into prehistoric ecosystems and evolutionary processes in general.
The results show that dietary diversity and adaptability were crucial survival traits during the environmental changes of the Late Triassic.
Dr Qvarnström said: “Unfortunately, climate change and mass extinctions are not just a thing of the past. By studying past ecosystems, we gain a better understanding of how life adapts and thrives under changing environmental conditions.”
Dr Niedzwiedzki added: “The way to avoid extinction is to eat a lot of plants, which is exactly what the early herbivorous dinosaurs did. The reason for their evolutionary success is a true love of green and fresh plant shoots.”