Prehistoric predator's final meal revealed through X-ray analysis.
Scientists at The Australian National University and the Australian Museum Research Institute used micro-CT scans to examine the fossilized stomach remains of a small marine reptile, a plesiosaur nicknamed 'Eric,' to determine its diet. They found 17 previously undescribed fish vertebrae inside Eric's gut, confirming the plesiosaur's diet consisted mostly of fish. The study demonstrates the potential to use X-rays to reconstruct the diets of other extinct organisms that inhabited Earth hundreds of millions of years ago.