A fossilized dinosaur from about 75 million years in the past had its ultimate meal well-preserved in its abdomen, revealing stunning particulars about its food plan.
The younger Gorgosaurus libratus, a kind of tyrannosaur, was discovered with the hind legs of small bird-like dinosaurs in its abdomen, in accordance with researchers on the College of Calgary.
Tyrannosaurs, which embody Gorgosaurus and the extra well-known Tyrannosaurus, have been a few of the most formidable predators of their time. Proof means that older tyrannosaurs sometimes ate massive herbivores, researchers mentioned.
Nonetheless, the most recent discovery means that the species’ diets changed as they grew, per analysis revealed within the journal Science Advances.
“This is the first time that such well-preserved stomach contents have been found inside the skeleton of a large species of tyrannosaur,” Darla Zelenitsky, the co-author of the examine, mentioned.
The creature weighed over 700 kilos — solely round 10% of the mass of an grownup— and was believed to have died younger, between the ages of 5 and 7. The fossil was first present in 2009 in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada.
Museum employees first noticed toe bones within the abdomen space of the dinosaur.
Researchers decided that these have been the stays of Citipes, small turkey-sized dinosaurs.
“The rock within the ribcage was removed to expose what was hidden inside. Lo and behold, the complete hind legs of two baby dinosaurs, both under a year old, were present in its stomach,” in accordance with examine coauthor François Therrien.
It appeared that there have been two completely different units of legs eaten at completely different instances, which was decided by the completely different ranges of digestion.
The hind legs have been presumably chosen to eat particularly by the dinosaur as a result of they might have been the meatiest a part of the physique, researchers mentioned.
“It’s well-known that tyrannosaurs changed a lot during growth, from slender forms to these robust, bone-crushing dinosaurs, and we know that this change was related to feeding behavior,” Zelenitsky mentioned.
“They appear to have gone from hunting prey like Citipes — a small fraction of their size — as teenagers to hunting megaherbivore dinosaurs — as large, or larger, than their size — as adults,” she mentioned.
The invention exhibits that juvenile tyrannosaurs, who had slender skulls and blade-like enamel, have been higher suited to eat small prey, whereas grownup tyrannosaurs’ massive skulls and powerful enamel meant they might eat a lot bigger prey.
This text was initially revealed by Business Insider.
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