Dinosaur snacked on seaweed washed up on North American coasts, fossil teeth suggest
Storms routinely wash marine material ashore, providing food for land animals and other organisms. This is known as marine subsidization (MS). Today, MS is particularly common in coastal ecosystems and is especially important to animals when land ecosystems produce less food than usual, such as during droughts. A new Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution study has shown that dinos and their prey,…
New research shows that dinosaurs in North American coastal regions likely feasted on seaweed that was washed ashore, based on the carbon isotope signatures found in their fossil teeth. This process of marine subsidization, where marine materials provide food for land animals, is common in today's coastal ecosystems. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution analyzed fossil teeth from coastal and landlocked sites dating back to the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago.
The researchers found that the carbon isotope values in the teeth of coastal-dwelling dinosaurs were consistently higher than those from inland sites. This suggests that these dinosaurs were consuming marine food sources, possibly washed-up seaweed, to supplement their diets. However, not all dinosaurs relied on marine resources for food.
The study also notes that some dinosaurs, like Tenontosaurus, showed no signs of marine food consumption in their diet. The findings highlight the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine ecosystems throughout history and emphasize the importance of protecting these environmental linkages today.
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