A recent study published in Nature Communications details Infernogallus jamesi, the first known frugivorous oviraptorosaur from 66 million years ago.
Researchers analyzed fossils from the Hell Creek formation in Montana and North Dakota, revealing a 1.5-meter theropod with a beak that chewed fruit instead of using gastroliths.
The fossils of the species were found in the Hell Creek Formation, a geological area spanning Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota known for its significant dinosaur finds. According to the researchers, Infernogallus was 1,5 meters long and weighed about 11,3 kilograms. It had a toothless beak, a parrot-like head, and was probably covered in feathers, following the characteristics of its relatives. It lived in a subtropical coastal ecosystem with floodplains, sharing the same habitat with top predators such as Tyrannosaurus, as well as herbivores such as Triceratops and Ankylosaurus.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, highlights the adaptability of theropods, a primarily carnivorous family of dinosaurs thought to be the ancestors of modern birds. Lead author of the study, paleontologist Greg Funston of Stony Brook University in New York, explained that the animal had three key anatomical features that allowed it to consume soft foods: a specialized muscle structure for forward-and-back chewing movements, a movable joint in the jaw that slid forward, and grooves in the beak for mashing food.
The fruits available in the region at that time included various types of berries and drupes, a category that includes everything from peaches and cherries to mangoes and olives. The appearance of angiosperms, or flowering plants, had preceded it during the Cretaceous period, 130 to 140 million years ago, creating a new food source that influenced the evolution of animals. Unlike other herbivorous theropods that swallowed stones to grind their food, Infernogallus chewed its food. At the same time, scientists believe that frugivores of this size played a crucial role in dispersing seeds and spreading flowering plants over greater distances, compared to the smaller mammals and birds of the time.
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