Overview
- The peer-reviewed study, led by Jingmai O’Connor of the Field Museum and published in Palaeontologica Electronica, describes a new enantiornithine species named Chromeornis funkyi from a Shandong Tianyu Museum specimen.
- CT scans and chemical analyses verified the clustered pebbles in the throat were ingested during life rather than sediment introduced after burial.
- Quantitative comparisons to known gizzard stone assemblages showed an extreme count of more than 800 pieces with atypical density and composition, including tiny clay balls inconsistent with normal digestive function.
- The authors advance a provisional hypothesis that illness prompted excessive stone eating and a failed attempt to regurgitate the mass, which became lodged and likely caused choking.
- Researchers note the rarity of such preservation in the fossil record and suggest the find offers clues to enantiornithine biology with potential insights for understanding extinction vulnerability and modern conservation.