Fossilised gut contents of a sauropod dinosaur have been studied for the first time, shedding new light on what these massive creatures ate. The remains of a 94- to 101-million-year-old sauropod named Judy, from the species Diamantinasaurus matildae, were excavated in Queensland, Australia.
Judy’s gut contents, including leaves and fruiting bodies from conifers and unidentified flowering plants, suggest that these herbivores barely chewed their food. The team believes they may have used a “snip and swallow” approach, eating an indiscriminate bulk of vegetation.
This discovery reveals that sauropods were not just plant-eaters as previously thought but also consumed a variety of species from both the ground and trees. Experts say this finding adds to our understanding of these ancient giants’ diets and challenges previous assumptions based solely on skull and jaw morphology.
The study, published in Current Biology, has implications for our understanding of sauropod biology and ecology.
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2483275-sauropod-dinosaurs-last-meal-reveals-that-it-didnt-bother-to-chew