Specimens That Make Most People Grimace Explain Why Earth Became a “Monster Planet” for 3 Geological Eras.
During Earth’s “Age of Monsters”—spanning the three geological periods of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous—dinosaurs as well as flying reptiles and marine reptiles underwent remarkable evolution in both size and diversity.
They are believed to have first appeared in the middle of the Triassic period, around the size of a small lizard or slightly larger, sharing habitats with many other ancient species.
In the following Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, while many other animal groups were continuously replaced through extinction events, these reptiles thrived, becoming increasingly numerous and larger.
By the late Cretaceous period, we had a planet teeming with massive monsters, featuring dinosaur species weighing tens of tons and flying reptiles with wingspans exceeding 10 meters…
The hidden strength behind this incredible expansion has recently been revealed through a type of fossil that will make you grimace: dinosaur vomit and feces.
The giant skeleton of a titanosaurus – (Image: SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY).
Researchers from Uppsala University (Sweden) have been searching for these types of fossils from over 500 sites in the Polish Basin, which contains remnants of monstrous species from the Triassic to Jurassic periods.
The fossilized vomit and feces—known as regurgitalite and coprolite—can provide a wealth of information, according to evolutionary biologist Martin Qvarnström, a co-author of the study.
This information includes diet, feeding behavior, physiology, and even the parasites living within these ancient creatures.
Scientists have found everything from small beetles to fish, bones, teeth, and plant remains that are still half intact.
They even discovered a piece of skull from a temnospondyl amphibian.
“No one could have guessed that such gigantic temnospondyls would attract predators. It’s really easy to break a tooth on such a giant skull,” Dr. Qvarnström remarked.
Another piece of vomit contained bones from a small crocodile.
All of this suggests that these ancient monsters were more opportunistic feeders than any modern creature on Earth.
The history of evolution clearly indicates: The less picky a species is, the higher its chances of survival.
For the lineage of prehistoric reptiles, this adaptability allowed them to survive robustly even during harsh climate changes that led to the extinction of other species.
Since they could eat anything, they were always well-fed and simultaneously had the opportunity to grow larger, expanding further into previously barren lands.
Unfortunately for them—but perhaps fortunate for us—the giants of the late Cretaceous ultimately could not withstand the catastrophic series of events triggered by the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid 66 million years ago.
