Scientists Study Dinosaur's Last Meal
2020-06-11
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1Around 110 million years ago, a dinosaur ate some plants, in what is now western Canada, before suddenly dying.
2That creature is now giving important information about ancient plant-eating dinosaurs.
3Scientists reported recently that fossilized contents of the creature's stomach were found along with its skeleton.
4The fossils were discovered in the Canadian province of Alberta.
5They are said to be the best-preserved remains of any plant-eating dinosaur.
6The stomach contents even show the cellular structure of leaves from the plants the dinosaur ate.
7Caleb Brown is a paleontologist at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta.
8He was the lead writer of a research report that appears in the online publication Royal Society Open Science.
9Brown noted that direct evidence of the diet of plant-eating dinosaurs "is very rare."
10The creature was about 5.5 meters long, weighed at least a ton and was a member of a group called nodosaurs.
11Its name is Borealopelta markmitchelli.
12It had a wide body and a small head. Its body had bony skin and a large spike on each shoulder.
13The creature's stomach had leaves from a kind of fern, as well as very few leaves of different kinds of evergreens.
14Charcoal, a black material left after things are burned, was also found in its stomach.
15To researchers, that finding suggests the dinosaur had been eating in an area that had recently had a fire.
16Scientists also reported finding many gastroliths, or gizzard stones.
17These are objects swallowed by modern birds and other animals to help the stomach break down food.
18I'm John Russell.
1Around 110 million years ago, a dinosaur ate some plants, in what is now western Canada, before suddenly dying. 2That creature is now giving important information about ancient plant-eating dinosaurs. Scientists reported recently that fossilized contents of the creature's stomach were found along with its skeleton. 3The fossils were discovered in the Canadian province of Alberta. They are said to be the best-preserved remains of any plant-eating dinosaur. The stomach contents even show the cellular structure of leaves from the plants the dinosaur ate. 4Caleb Brown is a paleontologist at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta. He was the lead writer of a research report that appears in the online publication Royal Society Open Science. 5Brown noted that direct evidence of the diet of plant-eating dinosaurs "is very rare." 6The creature was about 5.5 meters long, weighed at least a ton and was a member of a group called nodosaurs. Its name is Borealopelta markmitchelli. 7It had a wide body and a small head. Its body had bony skin and a large spike on each shoulder. 8The creature's stomach had leaves from a kind of fern, as well as very few leaves of different kinds of evergreens. Charcoal, a black material left after things are burned, was also found in its stomach. To researchers, that finding suggests the dinosaur had been eating in an area that had recently had a fire. 9Scientists also reported finding many gastroliths, or gizzard stones. These are objects swallowed by modern birds and other animals to help the stomach break down food. 10I'm John Russell. 11Will Dunham reported on this story for the Reuters news agency. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 12_____________________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14dinosaur - n. one of many reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago 15fossilized - adj. involving the remains of an ancient animal or plant 16contents - n. the things that are in something 17paleontologist - n. a scientist who studies life on Earth through fossilized remains 18spike - n. a long, thin object that ends in a point 19fern - n. a plant that has large, soft leaves and no flowers 20evergreen - n. a plant that has leaves that remain green all year long 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.