For years paleontologists have been puzzled by dinosaur bone specimens that are incomplete for no apparent reason. From sets of teeth without jawbones to pitted and grove bone sections, scientists have until now only theorized the reason for these missing pieces of the fossil record. A recent Brigham Young University study may have revealed the hidden cause of this phenomena:ancient insects feasted on dinosaur bones.

Professor Brooks Britt published his study on the “bone eating bugs” in Ichos - a scientific journal. Britt first began to theorize about these bugs when he noticed unusual markings on fossils as an undergraduate atBYU. “As students we noticed these marks and thought it might be due to algae or insects and we started calling them “bug bites”, just for fun,” Britt said. Britt was later joined by a current student at BYU, Anne Dangerfield, who also wondered about the markings and joined Britt in studying the phenomena. The two studied the 148 million year old remains of aCamptosaurus - a vegetarian beast discovered in Medicine Bow, Wyoming in 1995.

The analysis showed that beetles from a family called Dermedtidae were the culprits of the mysterious missing bone fragments. These beetles still exit today and feed on the flesh, bone and hair of carcasses. Interesting information about the beetle’s habitat also revealed that the climate at the time of the Camptosaurus’ demise was comprised of approximately 60-80 percent humidity at about 86 degrees F, much higher than the current average temperature at Medicine Bow of 43 degrees F.

Besides revealing a snapshot of the Jurassic climate of Wyoming, this work also shows us that the demistid beetle existed much earlier than was previously thought by about 48 million years. “This information gives us an idea of the environment during the Jurassic period and the evolution of insects,” Dangerfield said. Great research in this field often leads to still more data on our world at the dawn of life. It is interesting that even the leviathans of Earth were plagued too with our unfriendly friends we call “bugs”.