Insect crunching reptiles on ancient islands of the UK

By analysing the fossilised jaw mechanics of reptiles who lived in the Severn Channel region of the UK 200-million-years ago, researchers from the University of Bristol have shown that they weren't picky about the types of insects they ate - enjoying both crunchy and less crunchy varieties. The study, published today in the journal Palaeontology , describes how the team analysed the biomechanics of the skulls of some early lizard-like reptiles called rhynchocephalians to explore their diets. Around 200-million-years ago, the Severn Channel area in southern Wales and south-western England was in tropical waters, and these surrounded a system of islands that were inhabited by dinosaurs and diverse small lizard-like reptiles. The area was further south than it does today, at about the same latitude as Morocco. The sea level was higher, meaning that the peaks of limestone hills south of Bristol and in South Wales formed islands, rather like Florida today. The islands were inhabited by dinosaurs, early mammals, rhynchocephalians and many other fossil reptiles, feeding on the rich, tropical plants and insects. PhD student, Sofia Chambi-Trowell , from Bristol's School of Earth Sciences , worked on CT scanned skulls of these ancient rhynchocephalians and found differences in their jaws and teeth.