Bromalites:
New research using fossilized feces and vomit, known as bromalites, highlights how dinosaurs rose to dominance during the Triassic Period.
- Bromalites are fossil traces of organisms, consisting of material from their digestive system.
- They are the group of ichnofossils that record the consumption, processing, and elimination of material through digestive systems.
- Each main stage of processing has been ascribed to distinct bromalite subgroups, with little evidence for transitions between these stages.
- The most famous bromalites are fossilized feces, also known as coprolites.
- However, other types are recognised, including: regurgitalites (fossilised remains of vomit or other regurgitated objects such as owl pellets); cololites (intestinal contents); and gastrolites (stomach contents).
- Bromalites provide behavioural data including predation, scavenging, and vomiting.
- They are important indicators of dietary habits and potential predator-prey relationships; therefore, they largely enhance our comprehension of trophic interactions.
- Bromalites are often studied alongside other trace fossils to reconstruct ancient ecosystems.
