Ancient Animal Found on Cape Breton Island is Early Plant Eater

A newly identified species, Tyrannoroter heberti, may be the earliest known vertebrate herbivore, living approximately 315 million years ago during the late Carboniferous Period in what is now Nova Scotia. This small, lizard-like creature, discovered entangled in the roots of a petrified tree stump, possessed unique “Hershey-kiss” shaped teeth suited for grinding plant material, suggesting an early adaptation to herbivory. The findings, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, reshape our understanding of the evolution of plant-eating vertebrates. The species name honors amateur paleontologist Brian Hebert, who discovered the fossil site.

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