Canadian fossil reveals one of the first plant-eating animals

A fossilised skull dated to more than 300 million years ago has been identified as belonging to Tyrannoroter heberti, a newly described ‘microsaur’ species and one of the oldest-known vertebrate herbivores. From a 3D reconstruction of the skull, researchers found that the species had specialised teeth that resemble those of other plant-eating animals and that had been worn down from a grinding motion consistent with herbivory. The discovery suggests that vertebrate herbivores emerged around several million years earlier than scientists had previously estimated.