Nibbling Prehistoric Herbivore Sheds New Light on Triassic Diversity
Published:30 Nov.2021 Source:University of Birmingham
A Triassic herbivore, known for its supposed similarities to a modern-day ostrich, has been revealed to have entirely different approach to feeding from previously thought, according to research at the University of Birmingham.
The new discovery reveals a much broader diversity of herbivore behaviour during the Triassic period than has been recognised to date. Called Effigia, the animal was about the size of a gazelle and lived in North America around 205 million years ago. Its fossil remains were found in the Ghost Ranch Quarry in New Mexico in the 1940s, although the material was not formally described by palaeontologists until 2006.