For predatory dinosaurs, the Late Jurassic was a meal you could eat.
About 150 million years ago, sauropods dramatically shaped the dinosaur ecosystem in what is now the western US, according to a new study.
The Morrison Formation is a hotbed of dinosaur fossils. This layer of rock that covers much of the western United States dates back to the Late Jurassic period. 163.5 million to 145 million years ago. It houses the remains of iconic dinosaurs such as the armored Stegosaurus And about 30 feet long, meat-eater Allosaurus. Paleontologists have been excavating this structure since at least 1876. But now we are getting a glimpse of how the dinosaurs found there interacted with each other while they were alive.
Sauropods – giant reptiles with long necks and tails and thick, elephant-like legs – played an important role in the dinosaur ecosystem, according to a new study.
These giant dinosaurs are the largest creatures ever to walk on land. But they also played an important role in the food chain, acting as “ecosystem engineers,” as the study’s authors write. This research was published on Friday in New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin.
On supporting science journalism
If you enjoyed this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism Subscribing By purchasing a subscription, you are helping ensure a future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
By looking at the fossil record from a site called the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry, a part of the Morrison Formation in southwestern Colorado, researchers were able to reconstruct the dinosaur food chain over the several thousand-year period of the Late Jurassic.
William Hart, now a graduate assistant at East Tennessee State University and one of the paper’s authors, compares sauropods to today’s elephants — these dinosaurs were a “keystone” species, he says, that had a huge impact on its ecosystem.
One reason for this is that predatory dinosaurs like baby sauropods were easier to pick out. Allosaurus And Torvosaurus, Another big meat eater. “Life was cheap in this ecosystem,” says Ph.D. Cassius Morrison said. candidate at University College London and lead author of the paper, in a statement. “Like the life of hunters Allosaurus Possibly fueled by the consumption of these baby sauropods.
Sauropods are thought to have been voracious plant eaters, eating masses of vegetation to fuel their impressive growth – from eggs just a foot wide to fully grown adults that could weigh more than 15 tons.
Ultimately, the findings provide clues about how dinosaurs really lived. “Reconstructing food webs means we can more easily compare the ecosystems of dinosaurs in different periods,” Morrison said in the same statement. “It helps us understand evolutionary pressures and the way dinosaurs might have evolved.”
It’s time to stand up for science
If you enjoyed this article, I would like to ask for your support. scientific American He has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most important moment in that two-century history.
i have been one scientific American I’ve been a member since I was 12, and it’s helped shape the way I see the world. Science Always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does the same for you.
if you agree scientific AmericanYou help ensure that our coverage focuses on meaningful research and discovery; We have the resources to report on decisions that put laboratories across America at risk; And that we support both emerging and working scientists at a time when the value of science is too often recognised.
In return, you get the news you need, Captivating podcasts, great infographics, Don’t miss the newsletter, be sure to watch the video, Challenging games, and the best writing and reporting from the world of science. you can even Gift a membership to someone.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in that mission.
