Paleontologists have discovered first fruit-eating dinosaurs, and they were \u201cweirder\u201d than they could have predicted.<\/p>\n
Approximately the size of a Turkey, the most recent fruit-eating dinosaur had a \u201cbizarre anatomy,\u201d which tipped off researchers who had found a special specimen.<\/p>\n
The study provided some of the most compelling evidence that some dinosaurs developed specialized diets associated with flowering plants.<\/p>\n
Paleontologists thought it was nearly impossible. They knew that dinosaurs evolved to fill so many different roles in the ecosystems of the Cretaceous. But they never expected to discover fruit-eating dinosaurs.<\/p>\n
Meat-eating ancestors<\/p>\n
Researchers from Stony Brook University, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and the North Dakota Geological Survey discovered the fossils in the Hell Creek Formation, which is why they dubbed the dinosaur \u201chell chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n
They found the specimen nearly complete, with an articulated skull and a partial skeleton, and it is currently on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. According to the study, the skull represents the first nearly complete, articulated skull known from this group.<\/p>\n
Infernogallus is a family of toothless, feathered dinosaurs known as caenagnathids, which evolved from meat-eating ancestors. The specimen weighed about 25 pounds and possessed unusual jaw muscles reconstructed with CT scans. The lower jaw moved forward and backward rather than vertically, allowing it to process soft foods. <\/p>\n
Not dissimilar to the modern fruit-eating parrots, including the vulturine parrot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty rare for animals to become specialized for a diet of fruit, so when it happens, it comes with some remarkable adaptations,\u201d said Thomas Dudgeon, a postdoctoral research fellow at ROM and co-author of the study.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026We quickly realized that we were dealing with something special.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the study, this dinosaur mashed stone fruits, separating the fleshy and apparently fiber-rich<\/a> portions from the seeds.<\/p>\n The researchers concluded that the dinosaur likely lived off a diet consisting largely of fleshy fruits produced by flowering plants, also known as angiosperms.<\/p>\n However, the findings are based on skull anatomy and reconstructed eating mechanics, rather than stomach contents.<\/p>\n Specialized feeding behavior<\/p>\n The discovery could help researchers better understand the relationship between dinosaur evolution and the spread of flowering plants during the Cretaceous period.<\/p>\n According to the study, scientists have long recognized the connection between the diversification of plant-eating dinosaurs and the rise of flowering plants during this period. But the connection between the two evolutionary developments remained elusive. <\/p>\n Researchers suggest that caenagnathids developed these feeding adaptations as fleshy fruits grew larger and more diverse. The study also proposed that these fruit-eating dinosaurs helped disperse seeds.<\/p>\n However, the extent to which this is true remains unproven. <\/p>\n \u201cComplete remains of small dinosaurs<\/a> like Infernogallus are very rare in the fossil record. The strange skull of Infernogallus is an exciting find because it reveals surprising insights into dinosaur evolution and feeding specialization,\u201d said David Evans, chief curator of natural history at ROM and senior author of the study.<\/p>\n \u201cThis discovery shows that we still have a lot to learn about the world of T. rex<\/a>, and about dinosaurs more generally.\u201d<\/p>\n The findings provide new evidence of specialized feeding behavior among smaller dinosaurs near the end of the Cretaceous, as per the study.<\/p>\n