Geoscience Reference
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ciated with the digestive tract of a dinosaur (or any other fossil animal, for that
matter) is called a
bromalite
. Bromalites include
enterolites
(fossil stomach con-
tents),
cololites
(fossil intestinal contents), gastroliths,
regurgitalites
(fossil puke),
and
coprolites
(fossil poop).
Emetolite
is yet another term proposed for a regularly
regurgitated deposit, such as a cough pellet.
For now, we will focus on enterolites and cololites. Paleontologists are always
very excited whenever they find such trace fossils, considering the amount of in-
formation these provide about a specific dinosaur's diet. Of course, paleontologists
also must take care whenever interpreting possible dinosaur last meals. After all,
fossils stacked on top of one another or otherwise jumbled together can give the
illusion that plant or animal remains are inside an animal's body cavity. Add com-
pression from a few tons of overlying rock, and formerly three-dimensional and
separate body fossils can get squished together into flattened masses. Thus paleon-
tologists must make sure that the suspected food items are actually in between the
ribs or pelvis of the dinosaur, rather than above or underneath it.
This situation applies to the Late Triassic theropod
Coelophysis bauri
which,
based on supposed stomach contents, was once falsely accused as the Hannibal
Lecter of dinosaurs.
Coelophysis
was a slender, greyhound-sized theropod and is
oneofthemostabundantlyrepresenteddinosaursinthefossilrecord,withhundreds
of complete specimens in former river deposits in northern New Mexico. Among
these were a few skeletons of adult
Coelophysis
that apparently contained the re-
mains of juveniles between their ribs. The “cannibalism” hypothesis was originally
interpreted and promoted by noted paleontologist Ned Colbert, who had excavated
and studied
Coelophysis
since the late 1940s. “Eating children” thus became one of
themostcommonlytold
Tales from the Crypt
for
Coelophysis
,andfordecadesmost
peopleaccepteditbecauseitcamefromColbert.Itsplausibilitywasfurthersuppor-
ted byhowmany modern carnivores eat their rivals' offspring.Interms ofMesozo-
ic grim fairy tales, also recall those
Tyrannosaurus
and
Majungasaurus
toothmarks
