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Related Experiment Videos

Bottom-feeding plesiosaurs.

Colin R McHenry1, Alex G Cook, Stephen Wroe

  • 1School of Environmental and Life Sciences (Geology) University of Newcastle, New South Wales 2308, Australia. colin.mchenry@newcastle.edu.au

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 8, 2005
PubMed
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Cretaceous elasmosaurid plesiosaurs, previously thought to eat only small fish, consumed benthic invertebrates. Fossil evidence also revealed numerous gastroliths, challenging previous assumptions about their diet and function.

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Marine Biology
  • Cretaceous Ecosystems

Background:

  • Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs were dominant marine reptiles during the Cretaceous period.
  • They were generally believed to prey on small, fast-swimming marine organisms like fish and cephalopods.
  • The function of gastroliths (stomach stones) in plesiosaurs has been a subject of debate.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the diet of Cretaceous elasmosaurid plesiosaurs.
  • To analyze the contents of fossilized gut remains from Australian elasmosaurid specimens.
  • To re-evaluate the ecological niche and gastrolith function in plesiosaurs.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fossilized gut contents from two elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens.
  • Identification of ingested prey items, including invertebrates and gastroliths.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Geological context of the Aptian and Albian deposits in Queensland, Australia.

    • Main Results:

    • Fossilized gut contents were dominated by benthic invertebrates such as bivalves, gastropods, and crustaceans.
    • Both specimens contained a significant number of gastroliths.
    • The findings indicate a broader dietary range than previously assumed for these plesiosaurs.

    Conclusions:

    • Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs occupied a wider ecological niche, including predation on benthic invertebrates.
    • The presence of numerous gastroliths may be linked to this broader diet or other functions.
    • These discoveries challenge long-held views on elasmosaurid feeding habits and gastrolith utility.