Food remains in Confuciusornis sanctus suggest a fish diet |
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| Authors: | J Dalsätt Z Zhou F Zhang P G P Ericson |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Geology and Geochemistry, University of Stockholm, SE-106 91 Stockholm,, Sweden;(2) Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm,, Sweden;(3) Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box. 643, Beijing, 100044, China;(4) Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm,, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Despite hundreds of excellent fossils of Confuciusornis, the most abundant group of birds in the Early Cretaceous, ‘Jehol Biota’ in China, there is yet no indication of the food choice of these birds. Here, we describe fish remains preserved in the alimentary system of a specimen of Confuciusornis sanctus from the Jiufotang Formation. This find is about five million years younger than all previously published confuciusornithid birds from the Yixian Formation. Although it is unknown how common fish was in the diet of Confuciusornis, the find does not support previous hypotheses that it fed on plants or grain. |
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