Scientists Find 'Amazingly Well Preserved' Dinosaur Stomach, They Know What It Had As Last Meal

In 2020, researchers were astounded to uncover dinosaur remains with their last meal perfectly preserved in the stomach. The remains were discovered in a somewhat pristine condition by miners at the Suncor Millennium Mine in Alberta, Live Science stated. The condition was so good that experts called it the most well-preserved armored dinosaur on record. The creature was adjudged to be herbivorous and 3,000 lb (1,360 kilograms) in weight. Findings regarding the beast's food were published in The Royal Society Publishing.

The dinosaur in question was a nodosaur and is known as Borealopelta markmitchelli. After the beast took their last breath 110 million years ago, the remains ended up in the ancient sea and were found placed on its back on the muddy sea floor. Finding the dinosaur undisturbed by any external factors elated the researchers.

Experts believe this extraordinary feat happened because the tough and bony armor of the creature scared away the marine predators, stated Live Science. The most captivating feature of the preserved creature turned out to be the well-preserved last meal in their stomach. "These remains are amazingly well preserved. You can see the cellular detail of the plants," said study co-lead researcher Caleb Brown, a curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta, Canada, CNN shared. "When we first looked at the slides under the microscope, it was one of those moments where it's like 'whoa.'"

The discovery of intact food remains inside a dinosaur's stomach was considered huge at that time because such a finding had never been made before. Usually, experts found seeds and twig traces in the other dinosaur remains, but instances of such conclusive evidence regarding their diet had never come their way.

"The finding of the actual preserved stomach contents from a dinosaur is extraordinarily rare, and this stomach recovered from the mummified nodosaur by the museum team is by far the best-preserved dinosaur stomach ever found to date," said Jim Basinger, study coauthor, and University of Saskatchewan geologist.

To find what was the beast's last meal, study researchers made slides of the fossilized content inside the stomach. 88% of the plant content was primarily leaves and less than 7% were stem and wood traces. There was also some level of charcoal in the meal. 

The analysis of food remains helped experts understand the typical diet of a nodosaur. Examinations revealed that the creature typically ate stems, twigs, and chewed-up fern leaves as their regular diet. "We could see the different layers of cells in a leaf fragment including the epidermis with the pores, called stomata, through which plants take in carbon dioxide,” said David Greenwood, study coauthor, Brandon University biologist and University of Saskatchewan adjunct professor. "We could also see the surface patterning of the epidermis cells, which was like a jigsaw pattern that we see on many living ferns."

Since 2017, the dinosaur remains have been on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta. For paleontologists, the remains gave them a unique chance to have a glimpse into the daily lives of these majestic creatures. “When people see this stunning fossil and are told that we know what its last meal was because its stomach was so well preserved inside the skeleton, it will almost bring the beast back to life for them, providing a glimpse of how the animal actually carried out its daily activities, where it lived, and what its preferred food was,” Basinger explained.