The completed skull model of the Late Jurassic North American sauropod dinosaur, CamarasaurusDAVID BUTTONSpecialized feeding habits may account for the diversity of giant, herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs that populated North America during the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. To compare the munching abilities of two sauropod genera, Camarasaurus and Diplodocus, researchers created three-dimensional simulations of their skulls and jaw muscles. The results, published yesterday (October 8) in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, show that Camarasaurus had mightier jaws and likely fed on woody plants, while the narrower jaws of Diplodocus may have helped it chomp on ferns and horsetails.
To analyze the sauropods’ skulls, scientists at the University of Bristol and the Natural History Museum in London used computerized tomography (CT) scans of the animals’ fossils. The scans yielded 3-D reconstructions of the skulls, with marks on the bones indicating the anatomy of the jaw muscles. In addition, the team used an engineering technique called finite element analysis to determine how force was distributed across the skull when the dinosaurs ate.
“Our results show that although neither could chew, the skulls of both dinosaurs were sophisticated cropping tools,” study coauthor David Button of the University of Bristol said in a press release. “Camarasaurus had a robust skull and strong bite, which would have allowed it to feed on tough leaves and branches. Meanwhile, the ...
