Fossilized feces, vomit reveal how dinosaurs dominated Earth
Mongolia, Gobi Desert, Bayanzag Valley, fossilized dinosaur skull in desert (Photo by DEA / CHRISTIAN RICCI/De Agostini via Getty Images)
Researchers believe that fossilized feces and vomit from dinosaurs can shed light on how the ancient creatures evolved to become a dominant force on Earth.
The study, led by Martin Qvarnström of Uppsala University in Sweden, focused on materials known as coprolites and bromalites, found in Europe, that date back around 200 million years ago to the Triassic period.
The Triassic period was part of the Mesozoic Era, which occurred around 252 to 201 million years ago and was believed to be the "Age of Reptiles" when dinosaurs were dominant.
By examining hundreds of remnants, researchers were able to reconstruct the diets of various dinosaurs, revealing how the species evolved and adapted.
"Our study shows that you can use pretty seemingly unremarkable fossils to get pretty remarkable results," Qvarnström said in a statement.
Researchers used advanced technology to examine the remnants, which were found to include traces of fish, plants and even insects.
As the Triassic period progressed, so did the food remnants in fossils, which researchers suggest indicated changing diets.
"What we learned was that the rise of dinosaurs took quite a long time, and it was really complex," Qvarnström stated.
As humidity increased through the Triassic period, the climate altered vegetation growth patterns, but researchers said that dinosaurs appeared to adapt relatively well to the changes.
These adaptations allowed the animals to survive from the Triassic period, through the Jurassic period, and into the Cretaceous period, when a series of catastrophic events caused a mass extinction.
Data gathered from the materials allowed researchers to "reconstruct these food webs, so who was eating whom in all these assemblages and see this trend over such a long period of time," Qvarnström stated.
Paleoecologists praised the study and said the next step would be to compare findings with those in the Southern Hemisphere, where dinosaurs were thought to have originated and been more numerous.
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