Best-preserved dinosaur stomach ever found reveals 'sleeping dragon's' last meal
By Laura Geggel - Associate Editor 2 days ago
The last meal of the 3,000-lb. (1,360 kilograms) "sleeping dragon" dinosaur is so beautifully preserved, scientists now know exactly what the armored beast ate before it died about 112 million years ago, a new study finds.
Extraordinary circumstances left the remains of this giant dinosaur in pristine, lifelike condition. After it died, the body was swept out to sea, bloated with gas and remained afloat until it sank in an oxygen-poor area perfect for preservation; and its tough, boney armor likely deterred marine predators, researchers previously told Live Science.
Turns out, the nodosaur's stomach contents were just as remarkably preserved as the rest of its body. An analysis of its fossilized soccer-ball-size stomach contents reveals that this dinosaur, known as Borealopelta markmitchelli, was an extremely picky eater. It ate ferns, but only certain types, and only select parts of those plants.
"These remains are amazingly well preserved. You can see the cellular detail of the plants," study co-lead researcher Caleb Brown, a curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta, Canada, told Live Science. "When we first looked at the slides under the microscope, it was one of those moments where it's like 'whoa.'"
The nodosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli preferred to munch on a particular type of fern, an analysis of its fossilized stomach contents reveals. (Image credit: Illustration by Julius Csotonyi/Copyright Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology )
More:
https://www.livescience.com/nodosaur-dinosaur-ate-ferns.html
