🦴 800 stones in its throat: why did this dinosaur die this way?

120 million years ago, a small winged dinosaur met its death... by choking on stones it had swallowed. This remarkably preserved fossil, resembling a modern bird, offers scientists a direct window into the circumstances of its death.

Identified as a new species by Jingmai O'Connor of the Field Museum in Chicago, the fossil is the size of a sparrow. Published in Palaeontologica Electronica, the study shows its similarities to Longipteryx, such as its large teeth, while also displaying distinctive traits.


The most surprising element is found in its throat, where a mass of more than 800 small stones was discovered. Positioned against the neck bones, these stones appear to have been ingested while it was alive, ruling out the idea of deposition after its death. Their chemical composition confirms that they were indeed swallowed before the animal died.

To understand this accumulation, researchers used CT scans. The data indicate that these stones did not correspond to gastroliths—the stones typically used by birds to aid digestion—as they were far too numerous and even included clay pellets. This observation ruled out a classic digestive function.



The most likely explanation is that of a sick animal compulsively swallowing stones. While trying to regurgitate them, the mass became stuck in its esophagus, leading to choking. This scenario justifies the high position of the stones.

Named Chromeornis funkyi in homage to the band Chromeo, this new species belongs to the enantiornithines, a widespread group of winged dinosaurs from the Cretaceous. Their extinction 66 million years ago, coinciding with the impact of the famous asteroid, contrasts with the survival of the lineage that gave rise to modern birds.