A team of paleodentists of sorts has examined fossilized horse teeth from as far as 55.5 million years ago and found a timeline of changing tooth features that matches up with the climate record.
The changing climate was responsible for major changes over time in the horses’ diets, which were reflected in their teeth. Researchers were able to follow horses’ shift from eating fruit to grazing on grass in response to their shifting environment in North America.
Previous studies used chemical analyses of teeth and microscopic wear to understand what the animals were eating, but because these approaches require such hard work, studies were limited to a few specimens at a time, according to lead researcher Matthew Mihlbachler, an assistant professor of anatomy at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Read more…
