Canadian fossil reveals one of the first plant-eating animals

This 307-Million-Year-Old Animal May Have Been One of the First Plant Eaters

Learn more about Tyrannoroter heberti, a football-shaped land vertebrate who may have enjoyed snacking on plants.

Canadian fossil reveals one of the first plant-eating animals

Feb 10 : Scientists have unearthed in Canada's province of Nova Scotia the skull of a creature dating to about 307 million years ago that is one of the oldest-known plant-eating land vertebrates, representing a pivotal juncture in animal evolution.The creature, named Tyrannoroter heberti, possessed a somewhat

This Football-Shaped Creature Was an Early Terrestrial Plant-Eater

For 100 million years, plants had Earth’s surface mostly to themselves while vertebrates thrashed around in the primordial seas. When vertebrates finally crept up on terra firma, they still opted to dine on their fellow animals, leaving the foliage alone. Tens of millions of years later, that changed. Now, researchers have identified one of the earliest known fossils of a terrestrial vertebrate plant-eater. They published their findings today in…

This 307-Million-Year-Old “Tyrant Digger” Is One Of The Oldest Known Four-Legged Animals To Eat Its Veggies

Tiny organisms inside insects may have facilitated the switch.

Newly Discovered Fossil Among The Earliest Land Creatures to Enjoy a Salad

Meet Tyrannoroter heberti, a newly described species that was one of the largest, most feared land animals of its time – at least, if you were a fern. Hailing from 307 million years ago, this strange tetrapod was among the earliest known terrestrial creatures to experiment with a herbivorous diet. By the time the first vertebrates pulled themselves out of the water, around 370 million years ago, plants had already been living a pretty peaceful e…

A 307 Million-Year-Old Skull Reveals a Surprising Shift in Early Diets

A 307-million-year-old fossil reveals that some of Earth’s earliest land animals were already experimenting with a plant-based diet. Life first emerged in Earth’s oceans. Around 475 million years ago, plants began spreading from water onto land. Animals with backbones followed much later, arriving roughly 100 million years after plants had already taken hold. Even then, [...]