Did Dinosaurs Eat Giant Fruit? The Truth About Angiosperm Evolution

Did you know that the lush, fruit-filled jungles we see today weren't actually kickstarted by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs? 🦖

For decades, researchers believed that major steps in angiosperm evolution—specifically growing large fruits and seeds—only occurred during the ecological rebuild after the mass extinction.

The Secret History of Angiosperm Evolution

Scientists analysed fossilised soil from a 74.6-million-year-old tropical forest in New Mexico. They discovered nearly 80 distinct types of fossilised seeds and fruits, known as diaspores.

These specimens were unexpectedly massive, matching the size and variety of plant life from millions of years later. The data shows these plants invested heavily in reproduction.

Pre-Asteroid Fruit Baskets

This discovery suggests that flowering plants developed dense canopies and complex reproductive strategies while dinosaurs were still walking the Earth.

It also implies that Cretaceous animals may have been dispersing these large seeds. Instead of waiting for the post-asteroid world, modern forest structures were already organising themselves in the shadow of the T-rex.