Scientists Discover that the Dinosaurs Also “Got High” Off Plants

According to a recent study published by Oregon State University, 100 million years ago the dinosaurs were chewing on a well-known psychedelic fungi known as “ergot,” traces of which have been found in a (perfectly conserved) amber fossil discovered in a mine in the region of Myanmar, thanks to work by the German palaeontologist Joerg Wunderlich.

The fossil discovered also contains what would seem to be the oldest grass found to date (palaeoclaviceps parasiticus). According to the investigation, the two coexisted during the Cretaceous Period. Analysis of the grass, in addition, shed much light on the dinosaurs' feeding habits.

The ergot is a fungus that grows alongside grass and is mind-altering, triggering hallucinations in animals that ingest it, prompting some to define it as the precursor of LSD. However, George Poiner, Jr., a researcher at the university mentioned in the report, says that the exact effect the fungus may have had on the dinosaurs cannot be reliably determined.

If the fungus was in a deteriorated state it could have had unpleasant effects on animals like “convulsions, severe pain, gangrene, or even death.” The researchers believe that this fungus was not predominant, as it was overtaken by others that were more widespread during that era. In any case, its discovery yields valuable information on how the dinosaurs might have fed, and even “gotten high.”

With information from Oregonstate.edu, Livescience.com and Cnet.com