Tyrannoroter, new herbivorous "microsaur" from Carboniferous of Canada
46 views
Skip to first unread message
Ben Creisler
Feb 10, 2026, 1:35:00 PM (2 days ago) Feb 10
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Tyrannoroter heberti gen. et sp. nov.
Arjan Mann, Zifang Xiong, Ami S. Calthorpe, Hans-Dieter Sues & Hillary C. Maddin (2026)
Carboniferous recumbirostran elucidates the origins of terrestrial herbivory
Nature Ecology & Evolution 10: 193–202
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02929-8
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02929-8
The evolution of herbivory is one of the most important ecological events in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates and impacted the ecosystems they inhabited. Herbivory independently developed in a number of tetrapod clades during the Late Carboniferous and Permian, eventually leading to the establishment of the basic structure of modern terrestrial ecosystems. Here we describe a Late Carboniferous pantylid ‘microsaur’, Tyrannoroter heberti gen. et sp. nov., with expansive occluding palatal and coronoid dental batteries. The shape of the teeth, as revealed by high-resolution micro-computed tomography data, indicates wear from both shearing and grinding motions consistent with herbivory. New data from historical pantylid fossils show that similar adaptations can be traced back as far as the Bashkirian (~318 million years ago), indicating that terrestrial herbivory was already widespread within this group, and originated rapidly following the terrestrialization of tetrapods. The placement of recumbirostran ‘microsaurs’ on the amniote stem suggests that terrestrial herbivory is not an amniote innovation, although the phylogenetic position of ‘microsaurian’ tetrapods remains uncertain. Under any phylogenetic scenario, the data presented here reveal that pantylids acquired adaptations to herbivory independently, probably via durophagous omnivory, feeding on insects, shelled animals and tough plant material.
Arjan Mann, Zifang Xiong, Ami S. Calthorpe, Hans-Dieter Sues & Hillary C. Maddin (2026)
Carboniferous recumbirostran elucidates the origins of terrestrial herbivory
Nature Ecology & Evolution 10: 193–202
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02929-8
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02929-8
The evolution of herbivory is one of the most important ecological events in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates and impacted the ecosystems they inhabited. Herbivory independently developed in a number of tetrapod clades during the Late Carboniferous and Permian, eventually leading to the establishment of the basic structure of modern terrestrial ecosystems. Here we describe a Late Carboniferous pantylid ‘microsaur’, Tyrannoroter heberti gen. et sp. nov., with expansive occluding palatal and coronoid dental batteries. The shape of the teeth, as revealed by high-resolution micro-computed tomography data, indicates wear from both shearing and grinding motions consistent with herbivory. New data from historical pantylid fossils show that similar adaptations can be traced back as far as the Bashkirian (~318 million years ago), indicating that terrestrial herbivory was already widespread within this group, and originated rapidly following the terrestrialization of tetrapods. The placement of recumbirostran ‘microsaurs’ on the amniote stem suggests that terrestrial herbivory is not an amniote innovation, although the phylogenetic position of ‘microsaurian’ tetrapods remains uncertain. Under any phylogenetic scenario, the data presented here reveal that pantylids acquired adaptations to herbivory independently, probably via durophagous omnivory, feeding on insects, shelled animals and tough plant material.
****
News:
Football-sized fossil creature may have been one of the first land animals to eat its veggies
The “tyrant digger’s” tough teeth—including ones on the roof its mouth—reveal the evolutionary history of plant-eating
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/football-sized-fossil-creature-may-have-been-one-of-the-first-land-animals-to-eat
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-football-sized-fossil-creature-animals.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/newly-discovered-fossil-among-the-earliest-land-creatures-to-enjoy-a-salad
https://www.iflscience.com/this-307-million-year-old-tyrant-digger-is-the-oldest-known-four-legged-animal-to-eat-its-veggies-82512
Football-sized fossil creature may have been one of the first land animals to eat its veggies
The “tyrant digger’s” tough teeth—including ones on the roof its mouth—reveal the evolutionary history of plant-eating
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/football-sized-fossil-creature-may-have-been-one-of-the-first-land-animals-to-eat
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-football-sized-fossil-creature-animals.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/newly-discovered-fossil-among-the-earliest-land-creatures-to-enjoy-a-salad
https://www.iflscience.com/this-307-million-year-old-tyrant-digger-is-the-oldest-known-four-legged-animal-to-eat-its-veggies-82512
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages