A new Adelphi University study provides insights into how sauropod dinosaurs achieved their record-breaking sizes over time. Researchers found that sauropods reached their exceptional sizes early in their evolution and that with each new sauropod family to evolve, one or more lineages independently reached superlative status.
Researchers found that smaller dinosaurs grew rapidly, while larger ones grew slowly, challenging the idea that growth rate determines body size. The study also discovered that changes in growth timing can impact traits such as offspring size and susceptibility to predators.
Researchers found that Majungasaurus grew new teeth roughly two to 13 times faster than other carnivorous dinosaurs, replacing them every couple of months. This rapid tooth growth may have been due to the need to gnaw on bones to ingest certain nutrients, requiring exceptionally strong teeth.
Researchers discovered a new fossil that shows large angiosperm trees grew in North America by the Turonian age, dating back nearly 15 million years earlier than previously thought. This find provides more detail to our understanding of the landscape during this period and sheds light on the evolution of flowering plants.