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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Gastrolith #139823 02/19/2005 11:28 AM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Another great fossil word, pretty easy to figure out: fossilized disgestive tracts. Here's a very interesting statement about what could be learned from the gastrolith of a once-living dinosaur: "Gastroliths tell us that dinosaurs swallowed large stones to help them grind their food." There go Granny's chickens to the grit trough again! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Gastrolith #139824 02/19/2005 12:54 PM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC I think the gastroliths were the stones that the animals swallowed. gastrolith Stone that was once part of the digestive system of a dinosaur or other extinct animal. Rock fragments were swallowed to assist in the grinding process in the dinosaur digestive tract, much as some birds now swallow grit and pebbles to grind food in their crop. Once the animal has decayed, smooth round stones remain – often the only clue to their past use is the fact that they are geologically different from their surrounding strata. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0034009.html TEd Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Gastrolith #139825 02/19/2005 12:59 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Thanks, Ted. I didn't make the correct connection that the gastrolith was the stone itself. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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