For millions of years, dinosaurs transformed the planet — and some of the most famous giants eventually became devoted plant-eaters.
But new research suggests their ancestors may have had a very different appetite.
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A comprehensive study by palaeobiologists at the University of Bristol examined the diets of the earliest dinosaurs and found that these prehistoric animals were far more diverse than their later descendants. Some were carnivores, others were omnivores, while others had already adopted herbivorous diets.
The biggest surprise came from the evolutionary history of dinosaurs that would eventually include famous plant-eaters such as Triceratops and Brachiosaurus.
According to the study, the ancestors of many of these herbivorous dinosaurs were not strict vegetarians. Instead, meat appears to have been part of the diet of some of their early relatives.
That discovery challenges the simple image of dinosaur evolution as a straightforward transition from one type of diet to another.
Early dinosaurs lived in a world where food opportunities could vary dramatically. Eating both plants and animals may have given some species the flexibility to survive as ecosystems changed and new habitats emerged.
Over millions of years, different dinosaur lineages evolved in remarkably different directions. Some became specialized predators, while others developed adaptations for processing plants and eventually grew into enormous herbivores.
The result was one of the most spectacular dietary transformations in Earth’s history.
The gentle giants remembered for stripping vegetation from ancient landscapes may therefore have descended from creatures with a much darker appetite.
And the strangest part?
Some of the world’s most famous “vegetarian” dinosaurs may have had meat-eating ancestors.