How do we know that dinosaurs had lice?
A)Dinosaur fossils show clear evidence of louse eggs and bites.
B)Lice are found only in birds and mammals. The common ancestor that lice evolved on must have been the common ancestor of these two groups, a dinosaur.
C)Dinosaur DNA has been found in the guts of fossilized lice.
D)The DNA of both mammalian and bird lice contains sequences that are unique to dinosaur DNA. Lice can only have obtained these sequences if they lived on dinosaurs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lice are found only in birds and mammals, indicating that their common ancestor, a dinosaur, must have also hosted lice. Fossil evidence may lend support, but it is not explicitly mentioned in the answer choices. DNA evidence may also be used, but the specific explanation given in choice D is not scientifically accurate.

How Do We Know That Dinosaurs Had Lice