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What are Bromalites?

01-12-2024

11:36 AM

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1 min read
What are Bromalites? Blog Image

Overview:

New research using fossilized feces and vomit, known as bromalites, highlights how dinosaurs rose to dominance during the Triassic Period.

About Bromalites:

  • Bromalites are fossil traces of organisms, consisting of material from their digestive system.
  • They are the group of ichnofossils that record the consumption, processing, and elimination of material through digestive systems.
  • Each main stage of processing has been ascribed to distinct bromalite subgroups, with little evidence for transitions between these stages. 
  • The most famous bromalites are fossilized feces, also known as coprolites.
  • However, other types are recognised, including: regurgitalites (fossilised remains of vomit or other regurgitated objects such as owl pellets); cololites (intestinal contents); and gastrolites (stomach contents).
  • Bromalites provide behavioural data including predation, scavenging, and vomiting.
  • They are important indicators of dietary habits and potential predator-prey relationships; therefore, they largely enhance our comprehension of trophic interactions.
  • Bromalites are often studied alongside other trace fossils to reconstruct ancient ecosystems.

Q1: What is the Triassic Period?

The Triassic, lasting from 251.0 mya to 199.6 mya, was a time of transition. It was at this time that the world-continent of Pangea existed, altering global climate and ocean circulation. The Triassic also follows the largest extinction event (Permian-Triassic extinction event) in the history of life, and so is a time when the survivors of that event spread and recolonized.

Source: Unraveling the Dino Dominance: The Bromalite Breakthrough