Tooth Fossil Reveals Dinosaur May Have Given Children Special Food

Dinosaur children likely did not eat the same food as their parents. A new study of tooth fossils shows that some dinosaurs fed their young softer, more nutritious food to grow quickly in the first year.

Tooth Fossil Reveals Dinosaur May Have Given Children Special Food. Dinosaur children likely did not eat the same food as their parents. A new study of tooth fossils shows that some dinosaurs fed their young softer, more nutritious food to grow quickly in the first year. Citing The Independent, Wednesday, May 13, the findings came from a study of the Maiasaura peeblesorum tooth fossil, a duck-billed dinosaur that ate plants that lived about 75 million to 80 million years ago. Until now, young dinosaurs are thought to have sought out their own food in smaller sizes. In carnivores, for example, they are thought to eat insects. In plant eaters, they are thought to eat fruit or buds. However, the pattern of tooth wear on Maiasaura provides another clue. The teeth of young dinosaurs show more wear marks from crushing food. Meanwhile, the teeth...