290 million years ago an animal vomited and scientists just found out what this superpredator used to have for lunch millions of years before dinosaurs started ruling the earth

A fossil older than dinosaurs has been uncovered in Germany, where scientists have identified a regurgitalite, a rare fossil formed from ancient vomit, dating back to the Early Permian period about 290 million years ago. The discovery during excavation at the Bromacker site has stunned paleontologists, offering rare and direct evidence of how superpredators lived and fed long before dinosaurs ever appeared.

Dinosaurs first appeared about 245 million years ago and went on to roam the Earth for an extraordinary span of roughly 165 to 180 million years, according to Britannica. The finding, published in Scientific Reports, has been hailed as one of the most valuable fossils for understanding life before the age of dinosaurs.

The fossil was uncovered by Arnaud Rebillard and his colleagues during excavations and later confirmed through 3D scans. Inside the regurgitalite, researchers found around 40 bones belonging to three different small animals, according to online platform FUTURA. Among them were remains of Eudibamus cursoris, one of the oldest known bipedal vertebrates, the online platform claimed. The preservation of whole bones suggests the predator responsible was large enough to swallow its prey in big pieces.


Scientists believe the regurgitalite may have come from a Dimetrodon or a Tambacarnifex, two superpredators already known to have lived at the site. Until now, these predators were thought to feed mainly on large herbivores. The fossilized vomit, however, shows they were opportunistic hunters, consuming smaller animals as well.

According to FUTURA, beyond diet, the regurgitalite provides rare, direct evidence that the species involved lived in the same place at the same time. Normally, fossils found in the same sedimentary layer cannot confirm simultaneous existence because geological dating is imprecise. This specimen, however, proves coexistence, offering a unique glimpse into ecosystem interactions nearly 300 million years ago.

This remarkable find demonstrates how even the most unexpected fossils, in this case, vomit, can become scientific treasures, revealing the hidden details of ancient life and reshaping our understanding of prehistoric predators.

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