Fossilized feces of dinosaurs that lived 200 million years ago found in Poland stunned scientists: what the study showed

To better understand dinosaurs, scientists have examined their bromalites: the remains of the digestive system - feces and vomit. The scientists studied more than 500 fossils collected over 25 years from about 10 sites in the Polish Basin, an area in southern Poland.

The remains of the extinct giants date back to the late Triassic to early Jurassic period, approximately 247 to 200 million years ago. The researchers were stunned by the results of the analyzes, CNN writes.

Dinosaurs dominated the Earth for a long time, appearing in all shapes, sizes, and forms, while many other reptiles went extinct. Scientists are still thinking about why these giants were so evolutionarily successful. New research shows that some answers to this question may be found in dinosaur feces.

"We know a lot about their life and extinction, but we don't know how they came to be," said Martin Kvarnström, lead author of the study on the emergence of dinosaurs and a paleontologist at Uppsala University in Sweden.

"Bromalites contain a lot of paleoenvironmental information, but paleontologists have treated them mostly as a joke because collecting coprolites is ridiculous," Kvarnström added.

However, the scientists found that the fossilized feces and vomit (scientifically known as coprolites and regurgitates) increased in size and variety over time, indicating the emergence of larger animals and a different diet.

By studying the shape and content of the bromalites and linking them to fossilized skeletons and footprints found at the sites, the researchers were able to identify and classify the animals that likely left them, the scientists say.

This allowed the researchers to understand how many dinosaurs, as well as other vertebrates, and what type and size they were in the landscape at a given point in time. The analysis, which lasted 10 years, allowed the team of scientists to find out why dinosaurs became famous.

Details of the study of ancient feces

According to the scientists, in some cases, it was possible to make a visual assessment of what type of dinosaur was responsible for the bromite based on the size and shape of the fossil. But in many cases, it was necessary to conduct a detailed 3D scan of the internal structure of the bromalite using special equipment to understand what the fossils contained.

The coprolites contained the remains of fish, insects, and plants, and sometimes other animal predators, experts say.

According to the study, dinosaurs evolved to physically overpower their rivals. The upright stance of dinosaurs, which is the result of having their hind limbs directly under their bodies, combined with their flexible ankles, made them extremely agile and more efficient than their competitors, such as reptiles with splayed legs. In addition, some researchers believe that dinosaurs were accidentally able to better adapt to the dramatic climate changes that occurred at the end of the Triassic.

The study also showed that food remains extracted from bromalites belonging to dicynodonts (ancient relatives of mammals with a turtle-shaped head) indicate that this creature had a limited diet, eating mostly conifers.

The team of scientists found that the content of the coprolites of the first large herbivorous dinosaurs, sauropodomorphs, contained a large number of tree ferns, as well as many other plant species and charcoal.

Senior author of the study Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki emphasized that the reason for the evolutionary success of dinosaurs was a message that is still relevant today: "Eat vegetables and live longer."

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