Fossilized Dinosaur Droppings Shed Light on Early Evolutionary Success

New research reveals how dietary adaptability helped dinosaurs rise to dominance during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods.

Researchers analyzed over 500 fossilized digestive remains, including feces and vomit, from Poland's Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods to study dinosaur diets and ecosystems.
The study found that early dinosaurs' dietary flexibility, including consuming a wide variety of plants, contributed to their evolutionary success over other reptiles with more restricted diets.
Advanced 3D scanning technology revealed preserved remains of plants, insects, fish, and bones in the coprolites, offering insights into ancient food webs and ecological interactions.
The emergence of large herbivorous dinosaurs, like sauropodomorphs, and their ability to adapt to evolving plant life played a pivotal role in their dominance of terrestrial ecosystems.
The findings suggest that dinosaurs' evolutionary success was due to a combination of physical advantages and adaptability to environmental and dietary changes during periods of climatic shifts.