Ancient ground squirrels feasted on carcasses like ‘zombies of the Pleistocene’
A study of 700,000-year-old fossilized feces reveals that ancient ground squirrels were opportunistic scavengers that consumed megafauna carcasses. The research provides new insights into Pleistocene ecosystems and the dietary habits of ancient rodents.
Why it matters
This discovery expands our understanding of ancient food webs and demonstrates the utility of coprolites as genetic archives for paleontology.
Ground squirrels go into a hibernation state called torpor for up to eight months. (Alaeddin Cogal/Anadolu via Getty Images) Ground squirrels spend many months in a winter slumber, and then awake ravenous and eat anything and everything in sight. A study of 700,000-year-old DNA from coprolites — fossilized poo — has now revealed that when ancient relatives of ground squirrels (Urocitellus sp .) woke up, they ate a diverse diet of plants, insects and carcasses of megafauna, including woolly mammoths, bison and big cats.
Scientific reporting on paleontological research.
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