Bird That Lived 120 Million Years Ago Was First To Eat Fruit

The Cretaceous bird Jeholornis pooping out seeds from fruit, helping fruit-bearing plants take over the world. Undated photo illustration. (Illustration by Zhixin Han and Yifan Wang,SWNS/Zenger)

The earliest-known animal to eat fruit was an ancient bird that lived 120 million years ago, according to new research.

Hundreds of animals eat fruit now, but most fruit-bearing plants appeared only relatively recently in Earth’s history, showing up for the first time in the Cretaceous era – the final period of the dinosaurs.