Fossils of a 307-million-year-old animal identified as one of the Earth's earliest herbivores suggest complex plant-eating adaptations arose shortly after land migration.
Fossils of an ancient creature, named Tyrannoroter heberti, have been discovered in Canada, dating back 307 million years to the Carboniferous period. This period is notable for its lush forests, which ultimately became the world's coal deposits. The unearthed species challenges previous understandings of animal evolution, particularly regarding the adaptation from aquatic to terrestrial life.
Tyrannoroter heberti is classified as a new type of 'microsaur,' which are among the first vertebrates to exist on land. The findings published in 'Nature Ecology and Evolution' reveal that some of these early land-dwelling animals had already developed complex teeth designed for chewing plants, indicating that herbivory on land emerged relatively quickly following terrestrial migration from aquatic environments.
This discovery not only sheds light on the evolutionary history of land vertebrates but also provides insights into the ecological dynamics of the Carboniferous period, characterized by high oxygen levels and the dominance of amphibians. The implication of these findings suggests that the evolution of herbivorous traits may have played a significant role in terrestrial ecosystems long before the arrival of more recognizable dinosaurs and other large reptiles.
