Gastroliths - Paleontology and Geology Glossary

Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

(Already a member? Click here.)

ZoomDinosaurs.com
Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the dinosaur or paleontology term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

GASTROLITHS
or GIZZARD STONES

Many animals swallow small rocks that stay in their stomachs. These rocks (called gizzard stones or gastroliths) tumble around in their stomachs, helping to grind up tough food fibers (like leaves, twigs, pine needle, etc.). When gastroliths are found with (or inside) dinosaur fossils, they are typically very smooth and polished from years of tumbling around in a dinosaur's digestive tract.

Some of the animals that use gizzard stones are:

some birds (like emus) who eat tough, fibrous food - they need the stones because they have no teeth.
some dinosaurs, including

Enchanted Learning^®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories

Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales

Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano

Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish

Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail

Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:

Advertisement.

Advertisement.