Did dinosaurs have any relation with dung‐beetles? (The origin of coprophagy)

Abstract

It is widely accepted that Mesozoic ecosystems were basically similar to Cenozoic ecosystems and it has been proposed that the role of dung‐beetles in those ecosystems was identical to that of today, but the dung of dinosaurs were used as a source of food instead of the dung of mammals. While dinosaurs have been known since Triassic, Scarabeids are present in the fossil records probably since Lower Jurassic. But a very important metabolic feature of dinosaurs has not been taken into account, the connection between digestive and uro‐genital systems. So here we propose the hypothesis that coprophagy in dung‐beetles has been associated, since it began, with mammals.

Keywords:

• paleobiology
• mesozoic ecosystems
• coprophagy
• dinosaurs
• dung‐beetles

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr Krell and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions. This paper is an expansion of material presented at the 4th International Congress of Palaeoentomology (Vitoria, Spain; May 2007). Support for the completion of this project was provided by (Acción Integrada con Francia HF2004‐0053) and (Proyecto del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España CGL2005‐ 0046/BTE).