A prehistoric bird that lived and died 120 million years ago has presented forensic paleontologists with a baffling medical mystery.
Somehow, it managed to die with more than 800 tiny pebbles in its throat – a situation that researchers think almost certainly caused its demise. But why was the sparrow-sized bird swallowing the stones in the first place?
It's a discovery that raises some interesting questions about the diet, behavior, and physiology of prehistoric birds – especially since the mass of stones discovered in the esophagus of the newly discovered Chromeornis funkyi is unlike anyth