American scientists from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago have refuted a long-standing hypothesis about the diet of the fossil bird Longipteryx chaoyangensis, or Longipteryx. These birds had long beaks with strong teeth, so they were considered carnivores. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Current Biology (CurBio).
Longipteryx lived 120 million years ago in what is now northeastern China. They are considered one of the oldest birds.
Paleontologists have studied the creature’s fossil remains and concluded that Longipteryx preferred to eat fruit rather than fish or insects (as previously hypothesized), as evidenced by fossilized seeds found in the bird’s stomach.
Scientists recorded that the tooth enamel on Longopteryx’s beak reached 50 microns in thickness. The same thickness of the tooth shell has been found in giant predatory allosaurs weighing more than two tons. However, Longipteryx was the size of a blue jay, weighing only 100 grams.
Experts have suggested that Longipteryx used its strongest teeth to fight its relatives. This theory is supported by the position of the serrated part at the end of the beak, which allows the weapon to be pointed away from the rest of the body. Among living birds, similar behavior is seen in hummingbirds, whose beaks are also covered with horny growths.
Previously in Russia to create Remains of toothy birds that lived near Saratov 80 million years ago.