They were dark — a sign that they had been filled with rotting wood — and were marked by backfilled dung-beetle tunnels. The scientists say the plant-eating dinosaurs were probably hadrosaurs, large duck-billed dinosaurs that ate plants and thrived in the area. Chin suspects the herbivores couldn’t rely on rotting wood year-round, because there wasn’t enough of it to go around. The crustaceans may have been eaten along with the rotting wood during breeding season, when the dinosaurs needed extra calcium and protein to lay their eggs, she said. Mallon said he didn’t think the dinosaurs were intentionally eating the crustaceans; in all likelihood, they were an unintentional addition to the meal.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 22, 2017 00:18 UTC