Sauropods Were Vegetarians!

In 2017, paleontologists from Curtin University analyzed a 95-million-year-old sauropod fossil’s stomach in Queensland, Australia, and detected angiosperms and gymnosperms in its digestive system. For the first time in history, this research confirms the presence of plants in the sauropod diet, which further proves that sauropods were herbivores.

The fossil, nicknamed Judy, was a sauropod, scientifically known as the Diamantinasaurus matildae and commonly known as long-necked dinosaurs. Sauropods were not uncommon on Earth during the Mesozoic Era. In the past many sauropod fossils had been dug out before scientists uncovered Judy’s fossil. But Judy is special.

What was unique about Judy was that it had a well preserved stomach, while the stomach’s of most of the other fossils discovered in the past had rotted away. Judy’s stomach allowed scientists to look into its gut to analyze the contents. Another reason why scientists know what exactly Judy ate was because of her bulk-feeder eating method. The way Judy ate kept the food nearly untouched, which allowed paleontologists to identify exactly what was in its stomach. Using advanced organic geochemical techniques, scientists found pinnules and bracts from tall conifer trees and extinct seed ferns. Judy’s example confirmed sauropods were herbivores, and their main diet was slow growing plants.

hypothesized that sauropods were vegetarian, but this was the first time that a live example proved it. Understanding sauropods’ diet is crucial to study the plants and animals during the Mesozoic era, especially for the extinct species. Moreover, scientists now can also make new hypotheses about other extinct herbivores based on Judy’s diet. Also, scientists can learn about sauropods’ impact on Earth’s ecosystems.

However, scientists and paleontologists cannot make a conclusion yet that the bulk-feeder method was the only way that sauropods used to eat their daily meal. Normally, an adult sauropod was expected to be around 16 meters long, but Judy’s fossil was 12 meters long. So, Judy was probably a juvenile or a subadult, and it is likely that Judy would still have been growing upon her fossilization. Scientists don’t know whether or not the sauropods would change their chewing method when they aged up. More fossils, hopefully adult sauropods with well-preserved stomachs, have to be discovered and studied to answer such questions.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c5yew3dez1zo