Did you know that there are over 700 known species of dinosaurs? And those are only the ones we are aware of! Given their size and weight, it’s no wonder that these massive creatures needed to eat a lot to survive. But what exactly are they eating? In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the diets of different types of dinosaurs ranging from the dinosaur with the hard head to the dinosaurs that ruled the sky.
Equilibrium
As the number of carnivores in a population rises, they consume more herbivores, which lowers the number of herbivores. It becomes increasingly difficult for predators to find herbivores to eat, and their numbers decline. In this manner, the predators and herbivores maintain a stable balance, restricting each other’s growth. Both plants and plant-eaters are in an equilibrium. Just a quick review of these classifications:
- Carnivores only consume meat.
- Herbivores are animals that only eat plants.
- Omnivores are animals that eat both.
Carnivores
Most carnivorous dinosaurs were theropods, bipedal dinosaurs with three-toed feet and sharp claws. The most famous carnivorous theropod is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of the world’s largest land predators. The T-Rex had massive teeth up to 12 inches long, and it is believed that they could crush bones with up to 6,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of force. Other notable carnivorous theropods include the Velociraptor and the Deinonychus.
Because some carnivorous dinosaurs hunted in packs, social interaction was required for a successful hunt. Scavenging animals require exceptionally sharp teeth and strong jaws to tear into less-than-prime portions of meat and break bones in order to obtain nutritious bone marrow.
When faced with a lack of food options, carnivores would scavenge; Suchomimus and Baryonyx were two examples of dinosaurs who consumed fish. Perhaps Spinosaurus could swim well (it had feet like water birds). Small animals were discovered in Coelophysis’ fossil, providing insight into their nutrition. It’s even possible that certain dinosaurs consumed members of their own species in cannibalism.
Herbivores
Herbivorous dinosaurs, such as the Brachiosaurus, were plant-eaters. These gentle giants would munch on leaves and buds all day long. Herbivores typically had sharp teeth that were great for grinding up vegetation.
Herbivorous dinosaurs were primarily quadrupeds, meaning they walked on four legs. The most common type of herbivore was the sauropod, a giant dinosaur with a long neck and tail. The giant sauropod ever discovered was the Patagotitan, which weighed in at an astounding 70 tons—equivalent to 14 African elephants! Other notable herbivorous dinosaurs include the Diplodocus.
The majority of herbivores have blunt teeth that are useful for tearing apart plant material like leaves or twigs. For the purpose of crushing tough plant fibers, some have flat teeth. Additionally, many of these animals have cheek pouches where they can temporarily store food.
To consume the same calories, plant-eaters (herbivores) must eat more material than meat-eaters (carnivores). Plant-eating animals generally have larger digestive systems (than meat-eaters) that are required to break down large quantities of hard plant fibers.
Plant guts of dinosaurs were difficult to digest, and some dinosaurs employed stones, called gastroliths, to aid in grinding. Some such as Ankylosaurus even possessed fermentation chambers where the plant fibers were broken down.
Finding fossilized stomach remains or coprolites (fossilized excrement) with digested plant elements is one approach to determine which plants a dinosaur ate. However, it is hard since fossilized stomach remains are difficult to match up with coprolites.
Omnivores
Omnivorous dinosaurs, such as the Velociraptor, were both meat-eaters and plant-eaters. As opportunistic feeders, they would eat whatever was available to them. Omnivores typically had a mixture of sharp and blunt teeth that allowed them to eat meat and plants.
Only a few dinosaurs living during the Mesozoic Era were omnivores (dining on plants and animals). Ornithomimus and Oviraptor are two omnivores that eat veggies, eggs, insects, and other small creatures. Most herbivores are “accidental omnivorous” since they inadvertently ingest many insects and other tiny organisms when they consume vegetation.
Paleoecology
If dinosaurs were long dead, how did scientists study their diets? The answer is paleoecology.
Paleoecology is the scientific study of the ecology of prehistoric life, including the interactions between plants, animals, and the environment. By studying the fossilized remains of plants and animals, paleoecologists can learn about the diets and lifestyles of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. This data can then be utilized to re-create the ecology of ancient ecosystems.
Paleoecologists could piece together what the environment was like when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. They infer what kinds of plants and animals lived alongside them and what consisted of their diets. For example, suppose an ecosystem was largely forested. There would likely have been more herbivores than carnivores because there wouldn’t have been as much food for meat-eaters.
Paleoecology is a fascinating and informative scientific discipline, but it does have its downsides. One of the biggest criticisms of paleoecology is that it’s difficult to draw accurate conclusions from fossilized remains. Just because a plant or animal is found in a particular fossilized layer doesn’t mean it was simultaneously alive as the dinosaurs. Furthermore, it’s often difficult to determine what a dinosaur ate based on its fossilized remains.
Another issue with paleoecology is that it can be difficult to reconstruct ancient ecosystems. By studying the fossilized remains of plants and animals, paleoecologists can get a general idea of what an ecosystem looks like. Still, it’s often difficult to determine the exact makeup of an ecosystem. Many ecological factors (such as predator-prey relationships) are complex and can’t be accurately determined from fossils alone.
Finally, paleoecology is sometimes criticized for being too speculative. To reconstruct ancient ecosystems, paleoecologists rely heavily on inference and guesswork. While this approach often results in interesting and informative insights, it’s not always 100% accurate.
Conclusion:
There you have it! A closer look at the diets of different types of dinosaurs. It’s fantastic to think about how these massive creatures once roamed the Earth. And, with discoveries being known regularly, who knows what else we’ll learn about them in the future?