As a result, it is " often difficult for paleontologists to fully understand the diet and ecology of extinct creatures. While there are ways of analyzing tooth shape and also chemical signatures in fossils to determine diet, an easier way to see direct feeding behavior is fossilized gut contents," she writes.
The pterosaur specimen dates back to the Late Jurassic, about to million years ago. Paleontologists originally found this Rhamphorhynchus the Schernfeld quarry from Bavaria, Southern Germany in There, a research team recently got the chance to analyze the fossil in depth. Named Triamyxa coprolithica, the tiny beetles are also the first insects to be described from fossilized feces -- or coprolites -- and were visible by a scanning method that uses strong X-ray beams, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology.
Besides the discovery of the beetles in a coprolite, the scientific name also refers to the Triassic period , which lasted from roughly million to million years ago, and the suborder of bugs called Myxophaga -- small aquatic or semiaquatic beetles that eat algae. The tiny beetle Triamyxa coprolithica is the first insect to be described from fossil feces, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology. Heads wasn't involved in the study.
This together with early mineralization by bacteria likely helped to preserve these delicate fossils. Calcium phosphate is critical for bone formation and maintenance, and mineralization is when organic compounds are converted into inorganic compounds during decomposition processes.
Meanwhile, the oldest known hominin coprolite samples date back to around 50, years ago. Bits of pollen, specific molecules and parasites can reveal the diets of different cultures. For example, a study of Neanderthal coprolite found in the El Salt site in southern Spain found traces of chemicals that indicated Neanderthals ate not only meat, but also significant amounts of plants.
Parasites encased in coprolites provide diet clues too. Coprolites found on an island of Puerto Rico and dated to between 5 and AD contained different types of parasites.
Some coprolites contained only parasites associated with maize and fungi basidiomycetes , while the others had parasites associated with fish species.
This suggested that the coprolites came from two distinct communities of people with very different diets. In the American Southwest, coprolites associated with an Anasazi archaeological site contained tissue remains that could have only come from consumed human flesh—a sign of cannibalism. The trillions of microbes that live in and on your body—collectively called the microbiome—play a huge role in your health and wellbeing.
Through poo, scientists can trace changes in our microbiome over time. One prominent study of fossilised poo describes the microbiome of coprolites found in three distinct environments: southern USA, northern Chile and northern Mexico.
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