The recent discovery of the world's first reported stomach contents of a sauropod dinosaur has emerged from Curtin University in Perth. The specimen, a 95-million-year-old sauropod named Judy, was found in Queensland in 2017. Sauropods, known as the largest animals to have ever roamed the earth, could reach lengths of up to 33 meters and heights of 18 meters, existing for over 130 million years.

Judy, measuring approximately 12 meters in length, was considered a subadult at the time of her death and was still in a growth phase. Unlike other fossilized sauropods like 'Elliot' and 'Mary' found nearby, Judy's last meal was preserved with her, providing researchers at Curtin University with valuable insights into the dietary habits of these ancient creatures.

Analysis of Judy's stomach contents revealed pinnules and bracts from tall conifer trees, as well as leaves and fruiting bodies from smaller seed ferns and flowering plants. Stephen Poropat, Deputy Director of Curtin’s Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), highlighted that the findings indicate sauropods could feed at various heights above the ground, adapting easily to changes in climate, environment, and vegetation during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Poropat further explained, "Our findings demonstrate that subadult sauropods were capable of feeding at different heights and were able to adjust to the diverse plant species that existed. We also confirmed that sauropods were bulk-feeders, a feeding method still observed in herbivorous reptiles and birds today. This suggests that sauropods consumed food without chewing it, swallowing it whole and relying on their digestive systems to process it."

Image Credit: Travis Tischler