Diamantinasaurus (sauropod) ate conifers, seed ferns, and angiosperms based on gut contents (free pdf)
53 views
Skip to first unread message
Ben Creisler
Jun 9, 2025, 1:39:24 PMJun 9
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Stephen F. Poropat, Anne-Marie P. Tosolini, Samantha L. Beeston, Mackenzie J. Enchelmaier, Adele H. Pentland, Philip D. Mannion, Paul Upchurch, Karen Chin, Vera A. Korasidis, Phil R. Bell, Nathan J. Enriquez, Alex I. Holman, Luke M. Brosnan, Amy L. Elson, Madison Tripp, Alan G. Scarlett, Belinda Godel, Robert H.C. Madden, William D.A. Rickard, Joseph J. Bevitt, Travis R. Tischler, Tayla L.M. Croxford, Trish Sloan, David A. Elliott & Kliti Grice (2025)
Fossilized gut contents elucidate the feeding habits of sauropod dinosaurs
Current Biology 35(11): 2597--2613
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.053Highlights
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00550-0
Highlights
Gut contents were found in a specimen of the Australian sauropod Diamantinasaurus
Gut contents support herbivory, bulk feeding, and multi-level browsing in sauropods
Plants eaten by Diamantinasaurus include conifers, seed ferns, and angiosperms
Mineralization of gut contents and skin attests to unusual preservational conditions
Summary
Sauropod dinosaurs were abundant and diverse across much of the globe throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and include the largest terrestrial animals of all time. Since the discovery of the first near-complete skeletons in the late 19th century, sauropods have been almost universally interpreted as herbivorous. However, our concept of their diet is based on indirect evidence and inference since no sauropod fossilized gut contents (cololites) are known. Here, we describe a cololite associated with a specimen of the sauropod Diamantinasaurus matildae from the mid-Cretaceous (∼101–94 Ma) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. The cololite is hosted within an indurated rock layer, localized to the abdominal region, and closely and consistently associated with a layer of mineralized skin. Conifer pinnules, angiosperm leaves, and seed-fern fruiting bodies are preserved within, as are chemical biomarkers consistent with gymnosperms and angiosperms. This Diamantinasaurus cololite provides the first direct, empirical evidence in sauropods of herbivory, demonstrating generalist feeding, low- to high-level browsing, and minimal oral processing of food. The longevity of the clade Sauropoda was underpinned by the persistence through time of generalist feeders like Diamantinasaurus that were capable of feeding at a range of heights on a variety of different plant species.
Free pdf:
Stephen F. Poropat, Anne-Marie P. Tosolini, Samantha L. Beeston, Mackenzie J. Enchelmaier, Adele H. Pentland, Philip D. Mannion, Paul Upchurch, Karen Chin, Vera A. Korasidis, Phil R. Bell, Nathan J. Enriquez, Alex I. Holman, Luke M. Brosnan, Amy L. Elson, Madison Tripp, Alan G. Scarlett, Belinda Godel, Robert H.C. Madden, William D.A. Rickard, Joseph J. Bevitt, Travis R. Tischler, Tayla L.M. Croxford, Trish Sloan, David A. Elliott & Kliti Grice (2025)
Fossilized gut contents elucidate the feeding habits of sauropod dinosaurs
Current Biology 35(11): 2597--2613
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.053Highlights
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00550-0
Highlights
Gut contents were found in a specimen of the Australian sauropod Diamantinasaurus
Gut contents support herbivory, bulk feeding, and multi-level browsing in sauropods
Plants eaten by Diamantinasaurus include conifers, seed ferns, and angiosperms
Mineralization of gut contents and skin attests to unusual preservational conditions
Summary
Sauropod dinosaurs were abundant and diverse across much of the globe throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and include the largest terrestrial animals of all time. Since the discovery of the first near-complete skeletons in the late 19th century, sauropods have been almost universally interpreted as herbivorous. However, our concept of their diet is based on indirect evidence and inference since no sauropod fossilized gut contents (cololites) are known. Here, we describe a cololite associated with a specimen of the sauropod Diamantinasaurus matildae from the mid-Cretaceous (∼101–94 Ma) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. The cololite is hosted within an indurated rock layer, localized to the abdominal region, and closely and consistently associated with a layer of mineralized skin. Conifer pinnules, angiosperm leaves, and seed-fern fruiting bodies are preserved within, as are chemical biomarkers consistent with gymnosperms and angiosperms. This Diamantinasaurus cololite provides the first direct, empirical evidence in sauropods of herbivory, demonstrating generalist feeding, low- to high-level browsing, and minimal oral processing of food. The longevity of the clade Sauropoda was underpinned by the persistence through time of generalist feeders like Diamantinasaurus that were capable of feeding at a range of heights on a variety of different plant species.
****
News:
News:
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages