Sauropod tooth wear reveals climate-driven diets and potential seasonal migration.
What did sauropods eat, and how far did they travel to meet their enormous food demands? An international team of researchers has reconstructed the feeding behavior of these long-necked dinosaurs by applying advanced dental wear analysis. Their study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, shows that microscopic wear patterns on tooth enamel can reveal unexpected details about migration, climate influences, and how different species shared ecological niches 150 million years ago.
Life during the Jurassic raises many questions: what did these giant herbivores consume, how did they coexist within the same environments, and did they perhaps move seasonally in search of food? These issues were examined by a team led by Dr. Daniela E. Winkler of Kiel University, Dr. Emanuel Tschopp of Freie Universität Berlin and the LIB, and André Saleiro of NOVA University Lisbon. Their approach relied on a novel source of evidence—microscopic traces on fossilized teeth that act as a record of feeding habits.
“I still find it fascinating that microscopic scratches on fossil teeth can tell us so much about diet and even behavior,” says Winkler, an expert in the applied methodology. The technique, known as Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA), was originally developed by a research group led by LIB scientist Professor Thomas Kaiser for studying mammals. The current study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, marks the first systematic application of the method to sauropods. The analyses were carried out in the laboratories of the LIB.
Tooth Enamel as an Environmental Archive
The researchers examined 322 high-resolution 3D scans of sauropod teeth from three well-known fossil sites: the Lourinhã Formation in Portugal, the Morrison Formation in the United States, and the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania. In total, 39 individual dinosaurs were represented, with samples taken directly from original teeth or from detailed silicone molds.
“We’re talking about features on the micrometer scale,” Winkler explains. “These minuscule wear marks are created by contact between tooth and food, and they capture what the animal was eating in the last days or weeks of its life.”
Surprising Differences between Species and Regions
The statistical results revealed striking contrasts among sauropod groups and geographic regions. One notable case was the flagellicaudatans, the long-tailed sauropods that include Diplodocus. Their teeth displayed highly variable wear, suggesting a broad and flexible diet typical of generalist feeders.
In contrast, Camarasaurus specimens from both Portugal and the USA showed remarkably consistent wear patterns. This uniformity is unlikely to result solely from plant availability and instead suggests that these dinosaurs consistently sought out the same food sources year-round. “The climate in both Portugal and the USA was strongly seasonal, so some plants would not have been available at all times,” notes Tschopp. “The consistency in Camarasaurus tooth wear points to seasonal migration to secure the same resources.”
The titanosauriforms from Tanzania told a different story. Their teeth showed much heavier and more complex wear patterns. The researchers link this to the unique environmental setting of the Tendaguru Formation, which included tropical to semi-arid conditions and a nearby desert region. Winds likely carried quartz sand onto plants, meaning these sauropods regularly consumed vegetation coated with grit. This abrasive diet produced the distinctively worn teeth observed in the fossils.
Climate, Not Plant Variety, as the Key Factor
There were also clear differences between the regions themselves: teeth from Tanzania were consistently more heavily worn than those from Portugal or the USA. The crucial influencing factor? Climate.
“One of the most interesting aspects of this work is that we were able to relate differences in dental wear patterns to paleogeography and the habitat preferences of different sauropod faunas,” concludes André Saleiro. These findings also guide his future research: “The study showed me how to approach my ongoing work on niche partitioning in herbivorous dinosaurs – by focusing on specific paleo-environments to better understand the ecological relationships within species groups, and how these differences evolved across ecosystems.”
For Emanuel Tschopp, this is also one of the most exciting elements of the research: “With these microscopic traces, we can suddenly make behavioral statements about these enormous extinct animals. Migration, specialization, niche use – it all becomes tangible.” Another notable aspect: wear patterns differed depending on the area of the tooth – on the side (buccal) or on the chewing surface (occlusal). These differences were accounted for in the analysis to avoid distortion.
Relevance for Biodiversity Research
This study provides not only new insights into the lives of individual dinosaur species but also contributes to a broader understanding of palaeoecological relationships. Niche partitioning, climate-driven adaptations, and potential competition avoidance can thus be identified even in fossilized ecosystems.
“We demonstrate that ecological principles like niche formation and migration behavior were important not just today, but already 150 million years ago,” says Winkler. Tschopp adds: “The sauropods of the Morrison Formation show enormous species diversity – and that diversity was only possible because the species behaved differently and occupied different dietary niches.”
Looking Ahead: More Teeth, More Knowledge
The research is far from over. Future studies aim to explore whether juvenile and adult sauropods differed in their diets, or how dwarf species such as Europasaurus from Lower Saxony adapted to their specific island environment. Saleiro is already working on an expanded dataset for the Portuguese fauna, including other herbivorous dinosaurs.
“What excites me is that we can keep refining this method – and every new sample adds another piece to the puzzle,” says Winkler. “Our tools are getting better – and so is our understanding of what life back then was really like.” Tschopp agrees: “We’re still at the beginning with this method – but combining paleontology, modern technology and interdisciplinary collaboration opens up fascinating insights into ancient worlds.”
Reference: “Dental microwear texture analysis reveals behavioural, ecological and habitat signals in Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur faunas” by Daniela E. Winkler, Emanuel Tschopp, André Saleiro, Ria Wiesinger and Thomas M. Kaiser, 18 July 2025, Nature Ecology & Evolution.
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02794-5
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