What fossil evidence provided a high degree of certainty regarding the woolly mammoth's diet via DNA analysis?
Answer
Coprolites
Determining the exact diet of extinct animals historically relied on less precise methods, such as observing wear patterns on teeth or examining incomplete stomach contents. A major advancement in understanding the woolly mammoth's eating habits came from analyzing coprolites, which are fossilized feces. These preserved dung balls were crucial because they retained ancient DNA. Scientists were able to sequence this DNA directly, which offered a molecular snapshot of the animal's most recent meals. The results strongly confirmed the dominance of grass and sedge DNA, moving the understanding of the diet from speculation to conclusive, direct molecular evidence.
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