, ▁en larg ing ▁the ▁absor ption ▁surface . ▁Dal ▁S asso ▁& ▁Mag anu co ▁emphas ised ▁that ▁a ▁short ▁tract ▁does ▁not ▁necessarily ▁imply ▁that ▁the ▁processing ▁time ▁was ▁short ▁too ; ▁ret ention ▁could ▁have ▁been ▁prolong ed ▁to ▁optim ise ▁dig estion . ▁Most ▁ext ant ▁verte br ate ▁pred ators ▁are ▁capable ▁of ▁extract ing ▁about ▁ 7 5 % ▁of ▁the ▁ener get ic ▁value ▁of ▁the ▁pre y ▁flesh . ▁ ▁The ▁b ones ▁in ▁the ▁st om ach ▁region ▁had ▁not ▁been ▁et ched ▁by ▁the ▁st om ach ▁acid , ▁indicating ▁this ▁me al ▁was ▁less ▁than ▁a ▁day ▁old . ▁It ▁is ▁possible ▁that ▁the ▁st om ach ▁exit ▁was ▁too ▁narrow ▁to ▁let ▁these ▁remains ▁pass ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁acid ▁was ▁used ▁to ▁extract ▁calci um ▁from ▁the ▁b ones , ▁a ▁much - ne eded ▁nut ri ent ▁for ▁a ▁young ▁growing ▁animal . ▁The ▁subsequent ▁dig est ive ▁tract ▁with ▁most ▁ext ant ▁verte br ates ▁is ▁in cap able ▁of ▁further ▁dig est ing ▁b ones . ▁After wards ▁the ▁remains ▁would ▁then ▁have ▁been ▁reg urg itated . ▁However , ▁the ▁presence ▁of ▁verte bra e ▁in ▁the ▁int est ines ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁exit ▁was ▁wide ▁and ▁that ▁non - av ian ▁ther op ods ▁in ▁this ▁respect ▁were ▁more ▁like ▁present ▁Le pid osa ur om or pha ▁than ▁ext ant ▁Arch osa uria ▁who ▁reg urg itate . ▁This ▁is ▁also ▁confirmed ▁by ▁a ▁high