India had Grass Eating Dinosaurs Too
Sid Perkins
Science News
__________
Analyses of fossilized dinosaur feces in India reveal the remains of at least five types of grasses. The finding not only provides the first evidence of grass-eating dinosaurs but also shows that grasses evolved diverse forms much earlier than scientists had previously recognized.
Bits of silica called phytoliths indicate the grasses' presence.
The tiny crystals, which form within cells of many plants, are especially plentiful in grasses, according to Caroline A.E. Strömberg, a paleobotanist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
___________________See Also:___________________Because each type of grass produces distinctly shaped phytoliths, scientists use the readily preserved grit to identify the mix that once grew in an area.
Strömberg and her colleagues examined spherical coprolites, or fossilized feces, that measured up to 10 centimeters across.
The material was probably created by titanosaurs, the most common type of dinosaur represented in the rock layer holding the coprolites, says Strömberg.
Nov 19, 2005
Sid PerkinsScience News
__________
Analyses of fossilized dinosaur feces in India reveal the remains of at least five types of grasses. The finding not only provides the first evidence of grass-eating dinosaurs but also shows that grasses evolved diverse forms much earlier than scientists had previously recognized.
Bits of silica called phytoliths indicate the grasses' presence.
The tiny crystals, which form within cells of many plants, are especially plentiful in grasses, according to Caroline A.E. Strömberg, a paleobotanist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
___________________
See Also:
___________________
Because each type of grass produces distinctly shaped phytoliths, scientists use the readily preserved grit to identify the mix that once grew in an area.Strömberg and her colleagues examined spherical coprolites, or fossilized feces, that measured up to 10 centimeters across.
The material was probably created by titanosaurs, the most common type of dinosaur represented in the rock layer holding the coprolites, says Strömberg.
Nov 19, 2005
