Overview
- Researchers led by Jaemin Lee published on June 25, 2026 that an analysis of 450 fossil diaspores from a volcanic‑ash layer in south‑central New Mexico shows nearly 80 distinct seed and fruit shapes.
- More than one third of the fossils are fleshy, berry‑sized types and some reach the size of a small date, implying fruits large enough to attract vertebrate eaters.
- The authors infer vertebrate dispersal because the fossils match the size and form of modern animal‑eaten fruits, and earlier reports of diaspore‑bearing fossil dung provide supporting but indirect evidence.
- Study authors and outside paleobiologists stress limits to the claim because the material comes from a single site and direct links to specific dispersers cannot be made from these fossils alone.
- If other Late Cretaceous sites show similar collections, the result would revise models of angiosperm evolution by placing complex plant–animal dispersal strategies before the K–Pg extinction and changing how scientists reconstruct ancient forest ecology.