#fossilised fish bone

[uk-fossils]

Fossil Shark Coprolite with Fish Scales & Bone London Clay Eocene Isle of Sheppey Kent UK Authentic Specimen

This listing features a fossilised shark coprolite (poo) containing preserved fish scales and bone fragments, collected from the world-renowned London Clay Formation on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, UK. This is a carefully selected and scientifically significant specimen from the Lower Eocene Epoch, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Coprolites are trace fossils representing the preserved faeces of ancient animals. In this case, the specimen is attributed to a predatory shark, as indicated by the inclusion of fish scale and bone material—evidence of diet and digestive processes in Eocene marine ecosystems.

The London Clay Formation is one of the most fossiliferous geological units in Europe, formed approximately 56 to 47.8 million years ago during the Ypresian Stage of the Eocene Period. The environment was a shallow, subtropical marine shelf rich in diverse marine fauna, including sharks, rays, bony fish, turtles, and crocodilians.

Morphology Features:

Irregular to spiral or elongate form typical of vertebrate coprolites

Mineralised matrix with embedded fish scale and bone inclusions

Brown-grey coloration due to clay mineral preservation

Often contains phosphatic components from digestive processes

These inclusions make this coprolite especially valuable as a direct window into predator-prey interactions and dietary evidence of ancient marine vertebrates.

The photograph shows the exact specimen you will receive. Scale rule squares/cube = 1cm. Please refer to the image for full size and detail.

Specimen Details:

Fossil Type: Shark Coprolite with Fish Scale & Bone Inclusions

Geological Unit: London Clay Formation

Geological Age: Early Eocene (Ypresian Stage)

Location: Isle of Sheppey, Kent, UK

Depositional Environment: Subtropical shallow marine shelf

Significance: Trace fossil showing ancient shark diet

This is an exceptional and rare example of a coprolite containing visible prey remains, ideal for fossil enthusiasts, educational collections, and anyone fascinated by the real-life ecology of prehistoric oceans.

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

[pyukumukuus]

TOTV Ethical Dilemmas

I am 3 days into my Tears of the Vegan playthrough and I am having a tremendous time.

I am not actually a vegan, but playing this game as one makes for a very interesting philosophical exercise. The definition of 'vegan' is not always clear, so there is plenty of opportunity for debate throughout this playthrough over which materials are ethical and/or vegan-friendly.

I thought I'd list some of my dilemmas so far here!

Monster parts like horns and teeth are forbidden, obviously. But what about if they come from a stal?

You could very well argue that stal are reanimated dead, so how can you kill something that's already dead? I haven't allowed myself to collect the parts so far, more for gameplay reasons than anything else - I feel allowing myself to do that will just allow me access to too many potential weapon fusion materials! But now that I'm reading about it a bit more, it seems stal only drop the most basic forms of monster parts anyway so allowing this would most likely still keep the game challenging.

Verdict: So far forbidden, but I might allow this

Are base weapons, shields and clothing, which appear to be made from animal parts such as leather, permitted?

It depends. I have decided that the in-game description of the item is the ultimate decider here, more so than its appearance - Link's scabbard and belt look like they are made from leather so I wouldn't get very far if I had to go off appearance!

If it's not stated specifically in the description what something is made of, then I will make the assumption that it is vegan-friendly. Some examples below:

Lizal bow - Description says that this bow has been 'reinforced by the bones of a large fish' so it is NOT vegan-friendly.

Traveler's shield - Description says that this is made of animal hide, so it is NOT vegan-friendly.

Boko shield - Description says this is a 'handhold' attached to flat tree bark. It doesn't state what the 'handhold' is made of (it could perhaps be bone) but we can give this shield the benefit of the doubt as no info = vegan-friendly.

Archaic warm greaves - These very much look and seem like they would be made from leather and fur, but the description doesn't mention this so no info = vegan-friendly.

Verdict: Depends on the item description

What about items made from fossils?

I made a decision on this early on in the game after picking up a dragon bone boko bow. I was prepared to drop it until I read in the item description that it was a boko bow (i.e. string tied to a tree branch) which had been reinforced with fossils. So yes, this bow is made from bones, but the bones are actually from fossils! Are fossils vegan? That is really quite hard to answer!

For this one, I had to decide what kind of vegan I want Link to be. Is it the source of the material (i.e. animal origin) that is most important to Link, or is it how it was obtained (i.e. by killing)? I have decided to go with the latter. Killing animals, creatures, monsters etc. and using their parts for food or clothing is not okay... but making use of ancient fossilised remains is a different matter entirely, as these have effectively become part of the natural environment in the same way that a seed or a stone is. Dust to dust and all that!

There are probably vegans out there who would disagree, but that's part of the fun!

Verdict: Permitted

Koroks are living creatures! Surely it's not okay to use their leaves?

As far as I can tell, korok fronds and leaves aren't parts of the korok's body but rather accessories that are used by koroks. It's not possible to harm a korok in this game (even when strapping them to rockets, burning them on a crucifix or throwing them into the depths!) so we don't really know what materials they would drop as loot.

I have decided to permit the use of korok fronds as these just seem to appear when chopping down trees, the same as pine cones or acorns. There's no evidence of any harm being caused here.

Verdict: Permitted

Are the Zonai constructs alive? Is it vegan-friendly to use their parts?

I have decided to allow this as the constructs seem to be made from stone or similar material and are powered by Zonai charges, making them more akin to robots than living creatures.

Verdict: Permitted

What about taluses?

I had to do some reading to come to a decision on this. It appears that a talus (and similarly a pebblit) is a monster 'camouflaged as a rock formation', which suggests that they are NOT actually made of rock, they just appear that way.

However, the ore that sprouts from their backs is indeed real ore, not a part of their body that just looks like ore.

I will have to double check the in-game description to be absolutely certain, but I would say that this means that talus hearts are forbidden as these are a body part of the talus and not actually a rock, despite their appearance. But any gems received from taking out the ore deposits on their backs are fair game!

Verdict: Ore - Permitted; Talus heart - Forbidden (awaiting confirmation)

Is it okay to loot the zonaite and brightbloom seeds dropped by little frox?

As frox are actively hostile to Link I have decided it is okay to fight back against them. To my knowledge, they eat brightbloom seeds and zonaite grows on their backs similarly to how ore deposits grow on taluses. If that's the case, then I'd say it's okay to loot both of these things.

Verdict: Permitted

Are chuchu jelly and dark clumps okay?

I would say dark clumps are probably fine on the basis that gloom hands drop these when they despawn, even if they are not attacked, suggesting this material is actually solidified gloom itself rather than a piece of the hands.

Unlike gloom spawn, chuchus don't seem to secrete jelly naturally without being attacked so I would for that reason consider chuchu jelly to be non-vegan.

Verdict: Chuchu jelly - Forbidden; Dark clumps = Permitted

What about courser bee honey?

Honey is one of the more controversial vegan debates I have seen and I don't know enough about beekeeping to really be able to offer any argument. Regardless, I have decided to disallow honey in my playthrough as attempting to get honey in this game certainly angers and upsets the bees!

Verdict: Forbidden

[pureopaldesigns]

What Are Opalised Fossils and How Do They Form?

In the heart of Australia’s red desert landscapes lies one of the most extraordinary natural wonders—opalised fossils. These breathtaking relics are far more than just beautiful gemstones; they’re prehistoric remains preserved and transformed by nature over millions of years. But what exactly are opalized fossils, and how do they form? Let’s explore the stunning fusion of geology, paleontology, and gemology.

What Are Opalised Fossils?

Opalized fossils are the fossilized remains of ancient organisms—such as marine shells, plants, and even dinosaurs—that have been replaced or encased by precious opal, Australia’s national gemstone. This unique transformation occurs when silica-rich water seeps into cavities left by decaying organic material, gradually forming opal in its place.

These rare treasures capture not only the structure of ancient life forms but also the vibrant play of color that makes opal one of the most visually captivating gems on Earth.

Where Are They Found?

The vast majority of the world’s opalized fossils are found in Australia, particularly in regions such as Coober Pedy opal, Lightning Ridge, and White Cliffs. These areas were once covered by the Great Inland Sea, a prehistoric ocean that existed over 100 million years ago.

As marine life flourished in this ancient sea, their remains settled into sedimentary layers. Over millions of years, geological processes transformed the surrounding environment, replacing some of these remains with opal.

How Do Opalised Fossils Form?

The process of localisation is both slow and complex, requiring specific environmental conditions:

Organic Burial: An organism, such as a mollusk, fish, or plant, dies and is quickly buried under sediment.

Decay and Void Formation: Over time, the organic material decays, leaving behind a cavity or imprint.

Silica-Rich Water Infiltration: Water-carrying dissolved silica seeps into these cavities.

Opal Formation: Under the right pressure and conditions, the silica settles and solidifies into opal, capturing the shape of the original fossil.

This rare geological phenomenon requires just the right mix of time, water, minerals, and luck. That’s why opalized fossils are so rare and prized—both scientifically and commercially.

Types of Opalised Fossils Discovered

Some of the most incredible opalized fossil discoveries include:

Belemnites (ancient squid-like creatures)

Shells and marine creatures

Prehistoric fish bones

Tooth and jaw fragments

Even opalized dinosaur bones, including parts of species like the Weewarrasaurus—Australia’s very own opal dinosaur!

Each specimen is a one-of-a-kind blend of science and art, often displayed in museums or sold to collectors and gem lovers around the world.

Why Opalised Fossils Are So Valuable

The value of opalized fossils lies not only in their aesthetic beauty but also in their scientific importance. They offer a rare glimpse into ancient ecosystems, while also showcasing nature’s ability to create something stunning from something lost. For gem collectors, opalized fossils represent a perfect union of color, rarity, and history.

Moreover, because they are found almost exclusively in Australia, they have become icons of national pride and a symbol of the country’s rich natural heritage.

You can also watch: Video 12 Opal Fossils

Conclusion

Opalised fossils are more than just beautiful stones; they are stories from deep time—fossilised echoes of life, preserved in one of nature’s most dazzling minerals. Their formation is a result of remarkable geological processes that occurred over tens of millions of years, making each piece a timeless relic that bridges science, history, and natural art.So, whether you’re a gem enthusiast, a fossil collector, or simply someone fascinated by Earth’s wonders, opalised fossils are truly a marvel worth discovering.

[lostinhistory]

Heritage News of the Week

Discoveries!

Archaeologists in China have unearthed hundreds of tombs and relics, including several bronze swords, dating from the Warring States period more than 2,200 years ago.

Baptismal font from the Ottonian period discovered: Oldest evidence of a quatrefoil-shaped basin north of the Alps

The site of a font of the medieval Ottonian dynasty, from the tenth century, has been discovered in the crypt of St Servatii’s Collegiate Church, Quedlinburg, in Germany. Archaeologists believe that it could be the oldest evidence of a four-passage font — with four arches — north of the Alps.

Archaeologists find an assemblage of petroglyphs alongside dinosaur tracks in Brazil

A recent study, published in the journal scientific reports, reveals that the outcrops have fossilised footprints from the Early Cretaceous Period, left behind by theropods, sauropods, and iguanodontian dinosaurs.

Dozens of Neolithic burials and 'sacrificed' urns and ax discovered in France

Archaeologists in France have excavated a Neolithic site containing 63 burials and hundreds of structures and artifacts from a human occupation spanning roughly 4,000 years.

Archaeologists unearth new building in Sicily’s Valley of the Temples

A previously unknown building has been identified by archaeologists working in Sicily’s Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Italy, according to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. The structure may have been part of religious practices in the ancient city.

Hidden tunnel complex from Bar Kokhba Revolt found near Sea of Galilee

The tunnel complex was found at Huqoq near the Sea of Galilee and was revealed to originally be a water cistern from the Second Temple. During the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the inhabitants of Huqoq dug a series of tunnels from the cistern that connected to eight underground chambers and a mikveh.

2,000-year old bronze wares found in Shanxi Province

Archaeologists have uncovered 2,000-year old bronze wares during excavations of the Taosi North Cemetery in Shanxi Province. In a press statement by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the cemetery was discovered due to illegal excavations by tomb robbers in 2014.

Thousand-year-old bone skate discovered in Czech Republic

Archaeologists from the central Moravian city of Přerov, Czech Republic have announced a unique discovery. While carrying out excavations in the center of the town, they found an ice skate made of animal bone dating back some 1,000 years.

Obsidian blades with food traces reveal first settlers of Rapa Nui had regular contact with South Americans 1,000 years ago

The earliest settlers of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, appear to have had some sort of contact with people from South America as early as 1,000 years ago, a new plant study finds.

Rare medieval belt loop found near Kamień Pomorski

An extremely rare medieval belt loop has been found near Kamień Pomorski in Poland’s West Pomeranian Voivodeship. According to the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land, the discovery represents one of only 15 similar belt loops ever found in Europe.

It's a little skull!

7,000-year-old canoes from Italy are the oldest ever found in the Mediterranean

Five canoes found at the bottom of a lake in Italy were used more than 7,000 years ago for fishing and transport by people living in a Neolithic village near what is now Rome. Archaeologists to excavate Sheffield Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned

Archaeologists recover Aztec Codices of San Andrés Tetepilco

The three codices date from the late 16th to early 17th century and are believed to be a continuation of the Boturini Codex.

Archaeologists to excavate Sheffield Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned

Throughout April and May of 2024, archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology will be conducting a series of excavations to uncover and preserve the foundations of the circular towers of the castle’s gatehouse, and explore the destruction deposits from the razing of the original motte and bailey castle by John D’Eyvill in the 13th century.

Scientists reconstruct face of 16th century Italian ‘vampire’ buried with brick in mouth

A facial reconstruction expert reconstructed the features of the female corpse discovered in a mass grave of plague victims on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo. Brazilian forensic expert and 3D illustrator Cícero Moraes applied features to the woman, who was unearthed in an archaeological dig in 2006.

Excavations at Dahshur have recently uncovered a mudbrick built mastaba and reliefs that belonged to an individual named neb-neb-af and his wife Idut, who lived during the late 5th and early 6th dynasty.

Museums

A bronze age settlement built on stilts that dropped “like a coffee plunger” into a river after a catastrophic fire has provided a window on our past lives, according to the archaeologist that led the investigation of the Cambridgeshire site. On Wednesday, two open-access publications are being launched that comprehensively detail the finds from the excavation at a working brick clay quarry. Next month, some of the preserved objects will go on display at Peterborough Museum in an exhibition that tells the story of bronze age life in the short-lived settlement and its discovery almost 3,000 years later.

Louvre receives bomb threat targeting ‘Mona Lisa’

The threat, written in English, was sent via the museum’s website and reportedly signed by “Pères fondateurs de la Confederation” (Founding Fathers of the Confederation). According to a police source, on Wednesday, Louvre leadership filed a complaint, citing a “threat of attack.” The museum later confirmed the incident to the French news outlet.

Repatriation

Special agent Geoffrey J. Kelly, from the FBI Boston field office, was notified about a trove of Asian art in a private residence in January 2023, the FBI said. The residence was previously owned by a World War II veteran who the FBI said had died. Family members found the works while going through their father’s estate.

Denver Art Museum repatriates Vietnamese artifact tied to disgraced donor

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is repatriating an ancient artifact it deaccessioned last year to Vietnam following a claim from the country’s officials that flagged its origins. The bronze dagger, dated between 300 BCE and 200 CE, is believed to have been produced in the former Dong Son region in the country’s north. Its return is connected to an ongoing probe by US and foreign officials into works held in the Colorado museum’s collection that have ties to Emma C. Bunker, an art historian who died in 2021 and who had sat on the museum’s board.

The curse of Douglas Latchford strikes yet again

Metropolitan Museum of Art hires its first provenance research head

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has named Sotheby’s executive Lucian Simmons to the newly created head of provenance research.

Odds and ends

At the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, the location of a Black cemetery has been confirmed through a non-intrusive archaeological survey. So far, 121 potential graves have been identified, with the survey, which involves ground-penetrating radar, still ongoing.

New life for the Sycamore Gap tree

To create a lasting legacy for the Sycamore Gap Tree, the National Trust took seeds and cuttings to their Plant Conservation Centre. In a press statement issued by the National Trust: “Several dozen seeds are now sprouting, having been planted in specially tested peat-free compost. We’ve also been using a variety of propagation methods to create genetically identical replicas of the tree.”

‘Holy grail of shipwrecks’: recovery of 18th-century Spanish ship could begin in April

Since the Colombian navy discovered the final resting place of the Spanish galleon San José in 2015, its location has remained a state secret, the wreck – and its precious cargo – left deep under the waters of the Caribbean. Efforts to conserve the ship and recover its precious cargo have been caught up in a complicated string of international legal disputes, with Colombia, Spain, Bolivian Indigenous groups and a US salvage company laying claim to the wreck, and the gold, silver and emeralds onboard thought to be worth as much as $17bn.

Scientists find skull of enormous ancient dolphin in Amazon

Scientists have discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin, from a species thought to have fled the ocean and sought refuge in Peru’s Amazonian rivers 16m years ago. The extinct species would have measured up to 3.5 metres long, making it the largest river dolphin ever found.

Scientists name newly discovered ancient amphibian species after Kermit the Frog

Scientists have discovered a species of an ancient amphibian ancestor, which they have named Kermitops gratus because of its resemblance to the bright green star of The Muppet Show.

[arthurebbers]

Lewis

Bones asleep on ocean floors tell a story like no other, we are a natural machine, a creature cursed. To soil, earth, rock, it's been no time at all. To us it’s been an eternity.

I think humans each have a few fundamental flaws, and that each one is its own personal tragedy. I think one or two are someone else. A natural result of hearts incompatible, not everyone can love you back.

You are to devour me one day, or perhaps I, you. Currently we are blank slates, beings so young, beings so old. We knew each other back then, I can feel it. Quarks coming together, fossilised footprints whose paths intersect, fish in a fishbowl, rats in a cage. But one day you are to devour me, or perhaps I, you. And we will be joined as we once were, two people sharing a body,   hearts beating together, lungs expanding as one.

The word soulmate springs to mind, the idea of my heart beating anywhere but besides yours terrifies me. It unsettles me, makes me sick, absent.

And I’ve felt this absence for years, it's starting to get to me, weigh me down, a led balloon, a ship in the storm, pockets filled with rocks. A part of me wants you to feel it too. Another hopes you never know such a weight.

Sometimes I can’t stand it, alone in my chest, I lay it out on the table, watch it pulse and ooze, beat painfully, beat alone, and I dream of a time long ago, an eternity away, where you and I were there, combined, with no before and with no after, quarks coming together, rats in a cage, thoughts lying only with each other.

I dream of a future, much the same, our hearts beating, our lungs breathing, thoughts simultaneous, laying side by side, bones asleep on ocean floors.

I am not meant for casual love. I was born for soul consuming love and obsession.

[honourablejester]

On the topic of ‘fantasy settings you’d like to see more of’:

Subterranean settings. Very specifically, non-dystopian subterranean settings. So many times in fantasy, underground is for dead or evil things, and in science fiction it’s for grim, post-apocalyptic survival stories. And I get it, I do. There’s no light underground, or very little and mostly artificial, and the list of natural hazards in RL mining/caving/drilling is stupendous. For anyone with claustrophobia, fear of the dark, fear of drowning, fear of being unable to breathe, etc, etc, etc, below ground is basically fear central. I have several of those fears myself, so I absolutely get this. There’s a reason the land of the dead in a lot of mythologies was underground.

But. Fantasy. As in magic. As in wonder. And Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ was one of the first books I ever read out of the library. The idea of vast caverns and hollow earths, of great subterranean seas and cities and civilisations, really caught me.

There’s a lot you can do with a subterranean setting that is not darkness, slavery, death, blighted monsters crawling towards the surface, gateways into hell, etc. I know there are reasons for the associations. Underground is the realm of darkness, greed, suffocation. A lot of the big fantasy stories have tended towards a post-apocalyptic underground at best. Moria fell to the Balrog. The Deep Roads are where the Blight lives. The Underdark is aberration-and-slaver central. Dwarves, in particular, often seem to be a mid-apocalyptic race, clinging to their bastions of civilisation against the darkness, on the verge of being driven onto the surface. Below the surface, on any fantasy map, is where ‘Here Be Monsters’ tends to be written in huge, jagged letters. Because it’s hostile underground, RL or Fantasy. It always has been.

But. But the imagery you can have. Travelling down into the darkness to find wonders. Vast crystal caverns. Vertical civilisations, great cities built tier on tier around huge caves and shafts. Artificial suns. Bioluminescence. Giant fungal forests. Underground oceans. If you’ve ever watched those nature documentaries on extremophiles, the blind ghost fish with the lovely fins climbing lightless waterfalls. Pale, ethereal, sightless beings.

I have to say, even though it is post-apocalyptic, and the pale sightless beings were actually monsters in it, Blackreach in Skyrim at least had the awe and wonder down. This vast cavern full of majestic ruins, vast ghostly bioluminescent mushrooms, the golden glow of an artificial sun, the crystal chiming of nirnroot plants …

Underground can be a place of discovery. Wonder. Awe. Exploration. Community. Civilisation. I just would like to see some fantasy settings where that’s the bit that’s emphasised. Not the danger, not that everything down here is trying to kill you, not that living in darkness inherently makes you evil, not that the hell-portal is just down the incline there, but …

That there are wonders down here. There are living, thriving civilisations. There are beautiful, alien beings like nothing you’ve seen before. There are benign powers. There are ways to view things that are different: three-dimensional, sightless, lightless, but no less benign or valid.

Show me a dwarven city at the height of its power and prosperity, the roof of its cavern glowing in the light of its tiered suns. Show me ghostly spider people that act as the benign sages and weavers and oracles. Show me a subterranean Venice on the shores of a ghostly, lightless ocean, where bioluminescent mermaids come to trade. Show me a vast crystal cavern and the earth spirits that call it home. Show me the breath-takingly huge cavern sprawling outwards down an incline, an impossibly huge city carved tier on tier into its walls.

Show me the trade networks, gems and ores, yes, but also luminescent spider silks, strange crops grown under artificial suns, the million and one strange uses for fungus, two hundred different types of street food. Witch glass, magic, fertiliser (anyone who’s ever watched the David Attenborough cave documentary will remember the humungous mound of bat guano). Bioluminescent inks. Plant matter, bone, fossilised coal. A thriving trade in ornamental fungus for home decoration. Street stalls selling incredibly eldritch subterranean crustaceans onna stick. Street stalls offering the most delectable silicates for rock-eating species.

Show me life. Twenty six different species coming to trade hubs arranged at certain depths. Haggling. Universities. Water breathers. Methane breathers. Forty different variations on commercially available breathing charms and/or bubble helmets. A trade pidgin evolving using primarily sign languages, because the range of available vocal chords is a bit on the extreme side. Communication via light, or touch, or heat, or telepathy. There’s so many things you can do.

I’m not saying it can’t be dark and dangerous. It is still underground. I’m not even saying it can’t be horrifying. I adore Sunless Sea, after all, a game where the entire premise is an underground victorian ocean full of eldritch everything. Just … maybe don’t make it unrelentingly grim? Have some life down there. Some wonder. Some intrigue. Some cheer.

So much of fantasy underground is apocalyptic, dystopian or evil. Maybe just throw something a bit more, you know, interesting down there once in a while? Something that is not a long endless grind for survival against unrelenting horror. Make it so that people live down here, and are happy, and not because they’re torturing people for funsies, but because this is where they live and they’re fond of it, proud of it, have made a good life from it. Have it be a place people might want to visit. Put some wonders down there. Some joys.

… Possibly I just want less grimdark, post-apocalyptic fantasy in general, really. But yeah.

More wondrous fantasy undergrounds, please!

[blueiscoool]

Fossils From a Herd of 11 Dinosaurs Found in Italy

The fossils of a herd of 11 dinosaurs have been discovered in Italy, including the biggest and most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in the country.

It's unusual because Italy isn't known for having many dinosaur remains and this is the first time a whole entire group has been found. The biggest dinosaur in the group has been named Bruno.

Bruno and the other remains were found in Villaggio del Pescatore, a former limestone quarry close to the north-eastern port city of Trieste.

The fossilised remains belong to a species called Tethyshadros insularis, which roamed the earth 80 million years ago.

Tethyshadros was a beaked animal with a hand formed into a fleshy pad and three-toed feet. It was thought to be five metres in length.

Villaggio del Pescatore first became known for dinosaurs in 1996 after the discovery of a dinosaur skeleton, which was later named Antonio.

"Bruno is the biggest and oldest of the group, and the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in Italy," said Federico Fanti, a professor at the University of Bologna and leader of a research team.

"We knew there were dinosaurs at the site after the discovery of Antonio, but up until now nobody actually checked to see how many. What we have now are multiple bones belonging to the same herd."

The fossilised remains of fish, crocodiles and flying reptiles have also been discovered at the site, which formed part of the ancient Mediterranean area 80 million years ago.

"This is super cool as we can figure out the kind of environment the dinosaurs lived and died in," said Fanti.

"During that period, the area was very close to the shoreline in a tropical, warm and humid environment capable of feeding herds of dinosaurs."

Villaggio del pescatore is a protected area. This means the remains will be protected because of their recognized natural and cultural importance. These areas are usually protected by law.

[nuadox]

We found the oldest ever vertebrate fossil heart. It tells a 380 million-year-old story of how our bodies evolved

- By Kate Trinajstic , John Long , The Conversation -

In the limestone ranges of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, near the town of Fitzroy Crossing, you’ll find one of the world’s best-preserved ancient reef complexes.

Here lie the remnants of myriad prehistoric marine animals, including placoderms, a prehistoric class of fish that represents some of our earliest jawed ancestors.

Placoderms were the rulers of the ancient seas, rivers and lakes. They were the most abundant and diverse fishes of the Devonian Period (419–359 million years ago) – but died out at the end in a mass extinction event.

Studying placoderms is important as they provide insight into the origins of the jawed vertebrate body plan (vertebrates are animals with backbones). For instance, placoderms have revealed when the first jaws, teeth, paired skull bones and paired limbs evolved. They’ve also taught us about the origins of internal fertilisation and live birth in vertebrate evolution.

Now, in a paper published in Science, we detail our findings of the oldest three-dimensionally preserved heart from a vertebrate – in this case a jawed vertebrate. This placoderm heart is about 380 million years old, and 250 million years older than the previous oldest vertebrate heart.

The 3D preserved heart of a placoderm fish from Gogo. The rock entombs the bone shown in grey, shown by neutron beam imaging, and heart in red. Kate Trinajstic

How did we do it?

Fish fossils from near Fitzroy Crossing were first reported from Gogo Station in the 1940s. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that beautiful 3D preservations were revealed, using a technique that removes rock from bones with weak acetic acid.

However, this technique proved to be a double-edged sword. While the fine details of the bony skeleton were uncovered, soft tissues in the fossils dissolved away. It wasn’t until 2000 that the first pieces of fossilised muscle were identified in placoderms.

The Gogo fish fossils used in this study were discovered within rocks found in the Kimberley. Curtin Univeristy

With the advent of an X-ray method called “synchrotron microtomography” – first used on the Gogo fossils in 2010 – more muscles were revealed from the Gogo placoderms, including neck and abdominal muscles.

Our work used this same technology to show, for the first time, the presence of a liver, stomach and intestines in a Devonian fish. Some of the specimens even showed remnants of their last meal: a crustacean.

We found the soft organs fossilised in an order of placoderms called arthrodires. These were the most common and diverse of all known placoderms, characterised by a unique joint between their head and trunk armour.

The heart of the placoderm

The most exciting find for us was the heart. We found our first placoderm heart using synchrotron imagining.

Then while experimenting with a technology called neutron imaging, we discovered a second heart within a different specimen.

Life must have been nerve-racking in the Devonian seas, because placoderms literally had their hearts in their mouths!

Our new research has revealed the soft organ anatomy of a Devonian arthrodire fish. Brian Choo, Kate Trinajstic

At this point in vertebrate evolution, the neck was so short that the heart was located at the back of the throat and under the gills.

Fishes that are even more primitive than arthrodires, such as the jawless lamprey, have their heart close to their liver. And the chambers of the heart (called the atrium and ventricle) sit side by side.

On the other hand, arthrodire placoderms had the heart in a more forward (anterior) position, at the back of the throat. And the atrium sat on top of the ventricle – similar to sharks and bony fishes today.

Today, 99% of all living vertebrates have jaws. Arthrodires provide the first anatomical evidence to support the hypothesis that, in jawed vertebrates, the repositioning of the heart to a more forward position was linked to the evolution of jaws and a neck.

But that’s not all. This movement of the heart would also have made room for lungs to develop.

So did placoderms have lungs?

One of the most challenging evolutionary questions today is whether lungs were present in the earliest jawed vertebrates. Although fish have gills, the presence of lungs in some fish can help with buoyancy, which is needed to sink and rise in the water.

Today, lungs are only present in primitive bony fishes such as lungfish and African reedfishes.

More advanced bony fish (such as the teleosts) stay afloat using a swim bladder, whereas sharks have neither lungs nor a swim bladder, and instead use a large fatty liver to help with buoyancy.

But what about ancient placoderms? Previous studies (which were somewhat controversial) suggested lungs were present in a primitive placoderm called Bothriolepis.

A model of Bothriolepis, which was once thought to have possessed paired lungs. John Long, Author provided

Our analysis of the arthrodires from Gogo reveals the structures thought to be lungs in Bothriolepis are in fact a liver with two lobes, so lungs are now thought to have been missing from placoderms.

Our discovery therefore shows a single origin for lungs in bony fishes (osteichthyans). The movement of the heart to a forward position from jawless fishes (Cyclostomata) would have allowed room for lungs to develop in later lineages.

The absence of lungs in placoderms suggests these fish relied on their liver for buoyancy, like modern sharks do.

Our new findings on ancient placoderms show the movement of the heart forwards from jawless fishes. Kate Trinajstic, Brian Choo, John Long

A crucial site

The preservation of organs is a race against time. In some cases, an animal’s decomposition will aid soft tissue preservation, but too much decomposition and the soft tissues decay away. For excellent preservation the balance needs to be just right.

In the fossilised heart we found the atrium and ventricles are shown clearly, while the conus arteriosus – a section of the heart that directs blood from the ventricle to the arteries – is not as well preserved.

Being able to make these discoveries before they’re lost forever is crucial if we are to fully understand the early evolution of vertebrates, including the origins of the human body plan.

So beyond our immediate findings, our work has reinforced the significance of the Gogo site in the Kimberley as one of the world’s most important sites for carrying out this work.

Kate Trinajstic, John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University and John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

--

Read Also

Evolution: Primitive fish fossils reveal origins of teeth

[lailoken]

‘The Tools of Cunning’

-

“The Knife

A blade used by the Pellar is sharp and it will cut, for that is the nature of the tool. It is usually single edged with a hilt of bone, horn or wood, and is traditionally crafted by the witch's own hand as far as their skills will allow, or received as a gift. The Pellar's knife is used for tasks both practical and magical, it can be used to cut and carve new wooden tools, to dig holes and even to open a tin of paint. If you make good practical use of your knife in the mundane world, your faith in its ability to aid you in magical matters will be all the greater. The knife or collel of a Cornish witch is used to send magic over long distances, for weather magic, to conjure and bless the ritual fire or simply the candle's flame. It is used to conjure the red serpent; the 'fire in the land', and to awaken the Cunning flame within. It can subdue troublesome spirits and exorcise, but it is not used to conjure the working circle.

The Cup

Materials that have had life are most favoured to fashion the cups used by Cunning folk, the majority of cups I know of are made from horn. They are used in the Troyl rite for the ritual sharing of drink and food that is so vital to maintain the bonds berween witch, Bucca, the ancestors and the serpent.

The Bowl

This is used also in the Troyl rite to hold the sacramental food, and to leave food offerings overnight to the spirits, traditionally at the back door of the cottage or at the hearth - where the offering may also be made to the witch's familiar spirits and other serving spirits. Newly prepared magical substances or charms are also left in the bowl on the hearth overnight, thus allowing the settling in of the prevalent planetary or lunar virtues for which their making was timed to coincide, along with other raised powers and intent. The bowl is often made from wood, clay or horn. A good bowl or basin of copper is also sought after and kept by most Cornish witches. It has many uses and is most often employed in workings of healing, seeing' and of course love; copper being the metal sacred to Venus.

The Cauldron

Keep a good old cauldron; it is a useful tool for both magic and ritual use. Older ones are best for they are full of character, and usually a better quality casting. I must admit that of all my tools my dear big old cauldron, Old Bet', is perhaps my favourite. Along with a large cauldron, Cornish practitioners have also traditionally kept a small portable' example, handy when the Pellar is making visits to their clients. A cauldron has its most obvious use as the cooking vessel for magical ointments, or the food for a ritual feast, hung over the hood fire'. In ritual or magic, it is a symbolic portal of the Otherworld and a vessel of change; a womb of generation or a tomb of consumption, depending on intent and the phase of the moon, Herbs and magical substances can be cast into a caukdron with smoukdering embers, or a small fire kindled within, and the required virtues stirred up with the Pellar's staff, conjuring that which is required into manifestation within the rising smoke issuing forth from the vessel's depths. Visions and spirits can be conjured in this way, to be born forth from the Otherworld during generative workings of the waxing and full moon. Indoors, during workings at the hearth, a candle may burn within the cauldron, with herbs smouldering on charcoal and other symbolic items arranged also within. Above this are conjurations made with repetitive stirring gestures and muttered chants. During the waning or dark of the moon, those things that are required to be gone can be placed within the cauldron fire, in the form of symbolie items, images, knotted cords or pertinent substances, as the witch stirs or moves quietly about it in a sinistral circle, willing the undesired thing to be gone. In seasonal rites things may be born symbolically forth from the cauldron or sacrificed within, and it may become a vessel for sacred fires of the year.

Sweeping Tools

Sweeping magic was, and is, much used by Coenish practitioners. The most famous sweeping tool, the winch's broom, is symbolic of travel berween the worids, and passage from one phase into another. In ritual, it may sweep the working circle, not only as a tool of esorcism sweeping away influences that might impede or interfere with the work, but as a symbolic gesture to establish that exchange between the worlds is about to take place there. The beoom is used in magic so sweep bad influences out of the house, and fortunate or lucky influences in at certain times of the year. In curse magic, ill-innent and bad or unlucky influences can be swept via the beoom into the doorway of an enemy or wrongdoer. Feather sweepers are traditional West Country working tools, most often fashioned from long goose feathers bound with wax, or goose fat and string, to form a handie. Sometimes a left hand and right hand sweeper will be kepe the left hand one to sweep harmful or unlucky influences away and the right hand one to sweep in fortunane or lucky influences, others have kept a single sweeper for both actions, switching hands acconding to intent. The sweeping gestures may be made over a candle, charm, or symbolic item, or to sweep virtues and influences in, or out of a place such as a client's home. Magical sweeping gestures might also be made over a person or an animal. In this way, sweepers may also be employed within healing work; to sweep away the ailment from the affected part of the body with the left hand, and then to sweep in the healing influence with the right. The witch's whisk is a West Country sweeping tool parely used to exonrcise evil spiries and negative influences from a place. It is made by binding thirteen dried and thorny blackberry twigs together, using the string binding to form a handle. The ends of the twigs are set alight in a blessed fire, and the smoking whisk is waved and danced around the place with vigoeous gestures to ward off all evil and harmful influences. Conversely, a similarly bound bundie of rwigs, such as Pine, may be employed in a similar fashion. In this case however, the West Country witch is drawing helpful spirits to the working place, attracted by the pleasingly scented wood smoke.

Drums

Various kinds of drum may be kept by West Country witches, for they are useful within the circle for drumming up sproul and the presence of helpful spirits. They may also be emploved to drive awan evil spirits and negative influences. Cecil Williamson gives two interesting recommendations for West Country witch drumsticks - ones made of glass, the handles of which must have unfinished ends, being useful for banishing harmful influences, calling upon the aid of helpful spirits and for drumming up changes in the weather. Drumsticks formed from human arm bones however are recommended to drum up the presence of any required spirit.

Wind Roarers

Another noise-making ritual tool wind roarens, or "bullroarers have been employed within tradicional magical ritual and spiritual ceremony in many cultures and in many places across the globe, including here in the West Country They must be specially formed from hand wood, and spun above the witch's head in the air, they produce strange and otherworldly throbbing, moaning sounds. These are employed by the West Country witch to atract helpful spirits and to raise spirit forces at the creation of an outdoor working space, and to aid the achievement of trance states These may more usually be employed to begin simple, solitary workings, although I have heard three wind roarers used sogether during a working gathering of wise- women here in Cornwall, the sound was quite remarkable and the Hidden Company' left no doube that they had drawn close to see what was going on! Stones would also be carried as protective amulets and provide warning of the presence of poison by sweating. Devil’s Finger also known as Thunder Bolts are the belemnite fossil. They have been used in Cormwal by Cunning folk who also named them Sea Stones o make predictions by casting one or more and reading the directions in which they point. Waner in which Devil’s Fingers had been soaked for some time is seen in eradition to have curative powers against worms in hones as wellas rheumatism and eye complaints. They are also used by the Cunning to add potency to workings, sometimes being incorporated into charms or set into the end of curative wands. Tongue Stones are the fossils of sharks' teeth which, to the ancients, appeared to be the petrified tongues of serpents. Kept in the home they would ward off misfortune and prevent snakes from entering. Tongue stones are also worn as protective charms against evil and to protect the wearer from snake bites. Immersed in red wine they would provide a cure from venoms and poisons. Toad Stones were believed by our ancestors to grow inside the heads of toads. Most known examples of Toad Stones have been found to be the fossilised teeth of the extinct fish Lepidotes. Toad stones were most often set into rings to provide protection and to aid healing rites. Stings and bites could be cured by the Charmer's Toad Stone ring being touched to the affected area and worked against all venoms and poisons. The Toad Stone ring will warn the wearer of poison by becoming warm in its presence. Necklaces West Country witches, male and female, will often wear a necklace or pendant of magical virtue. Such things as hag stones and bird's feet are used. Strung beads of serpentine, quartz and obsidian represent the serpent and the generative and introspective virtues. A particularly potent and traditional West Country witch necklace consists of strung snake vertebrae, sometimes with the inclusion of glass beads, conferring upon the wearer serpentine powers and the ability to work with the "spirit force' of the land.

To Hood the Tools

The ways to empower the tools and to charge them with life and virtue are many and are to be determined by the nature of the tool itself, it is also the case that each practitioner may have their own ways. Following the exorcism of the item, with the aid of purging and cleansing substances, it will be charged with the powers and virtues pertinent to its nature and use. They may also be anointed with Witch Oil, and passed through the smoke of a pertinent suffumigation before being bound with the practitioner's working cord, to seal in the virtue, and left over night on the hearth. There are also such traditional actions as the anointing of tools with three crosses of spittle, the breathing of life into tools and even taking them into the bed for three consecutive nights. Tools are also often buried beneath the ground at known places of power for varying periods to be infused with chthonic force, whilst tools for working with the dead are often charged by the virtues of the North Road and coated with "Spirit of Myrrh'.

The Cunning Altar

The altar and focus of operations within the rites and workings of the Pellar, either at the hearth or outside, traditionally includes four basic things which are the staff, stone, flame and bone. For the staff, the Pellar's traditional working stick is of course most often employed, becoming a bridge/vehicle' to join and give access to the Ways', and a representation of Bucca. Pitch forks or hay forks are occasionally used instead. Within Ros An Bucca, we are fortunate to have a six tined threshing fork, which we employ as the altar within our six main seasonal ‘Furry’ rites. The stone is the foundation stone or hearth stone around which the cultus of the Craft operates. In some traditional groups this is a whetstone that keeps the blade of Cunning ever sharp, but for the solitary witch any of the working stones may be used. Quartz is a good choice for it attracts and enhances the serpentine flow and the breath, whereas obsidian would be more fitting specifically to the new moon. The flame is the flame of Cunning, the light betwixt the horns and the light on the heath that illumines the path of the Cunning Way. It may be a lantern or simply a candle. During indoor rites and workings, where a full 'hood-fire' is not possible, a ‘hood-lamp' may instead be employed upon the altar. Known examples are formed from horseshoes fixed to a wooden base, with a candle fixed between the upward pointing arms of the shoe, or a forked section of tree branch fixed also to a wooden base, with the candle stuck between the forks. This bewitched lamp is both a devotional object, being a potent visual representation of the Horned One and the light betwixt the horns, and a practical item for magic. Just as the hood-fire may be employed magically, so may the hood lamp assist workings to attract that which is desired and banish that which is not, often by the aid of pertinently coloured glass headed pins once the candle is identified with the object of the working. The bone is the representation of the Old Ones, the gods, spirits and ancestors of the Craft and the 'First One' of the Cunning Way. In grand rites this may be an actual human skull, although other smaller human bones are more usefully portable and thus more often used. Animal bones and carved skulls have also been employed for this. Alongside human bones, I also sometimes make use of a pre-historic, yet still sharp, flint cutting tool as a potent link to the ancestors. Some will keep about their person a stone, bone and candle within a handkerchief that along with their stick/ staff, a small flask of drink and a little food, may form a good and proper altar when out and about in the land. The Pellar's blade is also usually carried which doubles as a handy carving tool.”

—

Traditional Witchcraft:

A Cornish Book of Ways

by Gemma Gary

[bpod-bpod]

Fishing for Teeth

<

Life on Earth is the result of millions of years of fine-tuning – an evolution which often hides details of how things gradually became the way they are in extinct species, for curious scientists to discover. Here they use high-resolution x-ray microtomography to picture the jawbone of a fossilised bony fish Lophosteus, revealing its 422-million-year-old teeth (highlighted in gold) and virtually 'removing'the bone to peek at the blood vessels and pulp cavities (blue and green) underneath. This fish was picked for a reason – it’s an early window into the evolution of teeth, showing that structures called dermal odontodes (purple pink and red) developed from similar cells to teeth, becoming nearby 'skin teeth' – the scales in fish like sharks. The co-development of these structures reveals more about the chemical signals driving how teeth develop and grow, and may provide insights into the signals shaping human gnashers too.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Donglei Chen and colleagues

Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, December 2020

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[neo-jurassica]

British Hybodont Shark Skull. 🦈 
The #fossil is approximately 140 million years old and dates back to the early #Cretaceous era, the Berriasian Stage. ☄️ 
Shark #skulls like this are exceptional finds as the skulls of #sharks are made of cartilage not bone, which is harder to fossilise. Being preserved in 3D with the mouth open is exceptional, even squashed partial shark skull fragments are very finds. 💀 
Those with a keen eye will be able to notice the teeth have been preserved. However, there complete removal from the matrix may destroy them so they have been left in place as is. 🦷 
The #skull was found at Hastings, in East Sussex, Britain. 🇬🇧 
.
Follow @neojurassica to see more #prehistoric wonders! 🦕
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🖥 www.neojurassica.com
🦖 Dinosaur Specialists
🦴 Genuine Fossils
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#fossils #fossilhunting #fossilprep #paleontology #palaeontology #biology #geology #science #nature #animal #shark #extinct #megalodon #archaeology #fish #dinosaur #dinosaurs #jurassic #jurassiccoast #neojurassica #jurassicworld #ancient #antique #jurassicpark
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM9tH6Cp_6J/?igshid=1cav6ud2nml2v

[uk-fossils]

Fossil Fish Bone in Block Upper Triassic Westbury Formation Aust Cliff Bristol UK Authentic Vertebrate Specimen

This listing features a well-preserved fossil fish bone embedded in a block from the famous vertebrate and coprolite bed at Aust Cliff, near Bristol, UK. This specimen comes from the Westbury Formation, part of the Penarth Group, and dates to the Upper Triassic Period (Rhaetian Stage, ~208–201 million years ago).

Your specimen was discovered by our own team members Alister and Alison on 07 April 2025, and has been cleaned, prepped, and treated by Alison. It is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, and the photo shows the exact piece you will receive.

Geological Context:

The Westbury Formation represents a shallow marine to lagoonal depositional setting, where cycles of transgression led to rich organic deposition. The dark, fine-grained mudstones of the Aust Cliff area are globally recognised for yielding a diverse assemblage of Late Triassic marine vertebrates—including fish, marine reptiles, and coprolites.

The fish bone likely derives from an actinopterygian (ray-finned fish), a group that includes species such as Severnichthys and Saurichthys—both common in this bed.

Morphology and Preservation:

Elongate, cylindrical or plate-like fossil bone fragment

Embedded in micaceous black or grey laminated mudstone

Bone may represent part of a rib, fin ray, or jaw fragment

Associated with fish scale or coprolitic debris in some cases

This bone fragment offers valuable insight into Late Triassic marine life and is an excellent educational or display piece.

Specimen Information:

Fossil Type: Fish Bone in Matrix Block

Geological Formation: Westbury Formation

Group: Penarth Group

Geological Stage: Rhaetian (Upper Triassic)

Location: Aust Cliff, Bristol, UK

Depositional Environment: Shallow marine to lagoonal

Discovered By: Alister & Alison (UKGE Team)

Date of Discovery: 07 April 2025

Scale cube = 1cm. Please refer to the image for full sizing and condition.

This is a unique opportunity to own a genuine piece of the UK’s rich fossil heritage, from one of its most iconic Triassic localities.

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

[enter-the-phantom]

Moving my bones around and realised I never showed off my birthday presents. Found these at my favourite crystal vendor in Canton. Beautiful fossilised fish, undated, and a sliver of dinosaur bone. Bone is most likely a late Cretaceous Hell Creek fossil. ❤

[earthstory]

Yi qi

Common name: Batdino Size: Pigeon sized (10cm). Age: Mid Jurassic (160 million years ago) Geographic range: China/Mongolia. Liked: Flying/gliding. Disliked: Being eaten. Taxonomy: Animalia > Chordata > Dinosauria > Theropoda>Scansoriopterygidae>Yi>qi

The Jehol and Daohugou Biota of north eastern China (see http://on.fb.me/1cViPit and http://on.fb.me/1Hnu8YF) have repeatedly stunned palaeontologists over the last couple of decades with their well preserved 160 and 130 million year old ecosystems. The time period covered by the two formations spanned the transition between feathered dinosaurs and birds, amongst other things, and the exceptional preservation of these fossilised organisms has brought us many feathers, mammalian fur and other rarities to study that are usually not preserved in fossilisation.

Yi qi comes from the older rocks of the Daohugou formation, some 160 million years old. These are the remnants of tree shaded lakes that were periodically covered in huge volumes of volcanic ash from pyroclastic flows, each killing a wide diversity of animals and shunting them into the lake beds, where the fine grained ash preserved them in near perfect detail. Only one geologically flattened partial specimen exists, the size of a medium bird that was maybe a tree dweller. The name comes from the Chinese for 'strange wing'.

Several features of its anatomy are unique. Its elongated third finger had a membrane of sliding skin and a never before seen long bony strut attached at the wrist, resulting in a bat shaped wing arrangement. Whether a newly evolved wrist bone or a ossified cartilage, the feature is very odd. The critter was a feathered therepod, whose plumes resembled quills or paintbrushes ( for an idea of what these dino feathers looked like, see my past posts of them preserved in amber, Jurassic park style, at http://on.fb.me/1DTZQdF and http://on.fb.me/1QpTFac). They were covered all over and quite dense, up to 6 cm long. Some of the bat like membrane was also preserved, and no flight feathers were present. They analysed the melanosomes for colour and found the feathers were black like a crow's and brown on the head.

The resemblance to a bat would be an example of convergent evolution, where different animals from widely varied evolutionary backgrounds take on a similar shape, such as tuna fish, dolphins (mammals) and ichthyosaurs (reptiles). It also suggests that flight evolved several times using different means in the dinosaurian and early bird lineages with maybe several groups transitioning from gliding to powered flight. It is also a transitional form between feathered dinos evolving into birds and the unrelated pterosaurs, with their more bat like wing structures. This is certainly an interesting and unusual twig on the great tree of expressed nucleic acids that we call life, and, incidentally, the dinosaur with the shortest name of all.

Loz

Image credit: graphic Dinostar Co. Ltd., photos Zang Hailong http://bit.ly/1EYblI0 http://bit.ly/1EDJFq6 http://bit.ly/1GI1QNp http://bit.ly/1GwyNXL

[sciencespies]

Huge haul of dinosaur teeth reveal the Spinosaurus really was a river monster

https://sciencespies.com/nature/huge-haul-of-dinosaur-teeth-reveal-the-spinosaurus-really-was-a-river-monster/

Huge haul of dinosaur teeth reveal the Spinosaurus really was a river monster

The discovery of more than a thousand fossilised teeth in a prehistoric river bed is eating away at our current definition of dinosaurs.

Today, palaeontologists generally consider this extinct group of reptiles to be solely land-based, but one enormous species simply won’t stay dry.

The species, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, with its giant fin-like tail, has been causing waves in recent years, and some scientists are sure this dinosaur was a swimmer – the first known example among dinosaurs.

Now, hundreds of this creature’s teeth, nearly half of the enormous haul found in Morocco, have this group more convinced than ever. 

Spinosaurus teeth. (Beevor et al., Cretaceous Research, 2020)

“From this research we are able to confirm this location as the place where this gigantic dinosaur not only lived but also died,” says palaeobiologist David Martill from the University of Portsmouth.

“The results are fully consistent with the idea of a truly water-dwelling ‘river monster.'”

The massive haul of teeth belongs to both dinosaurs and some aquatic animals. Counting up over 1,200 fossils, researchers found just under half were from the Spinosaurus. 

The sheer abundance of spinosaur teeth – relative to other dinosaurs – in the riverbed location is a reflection of their aquatic lifestyle, the team argues.

Artistic reconstruction of new Spinosaurus description. (Gustavo Monroy-Becerril)

“An animal living much of its life in water is much more likely to contribute teeth to the river deposit than those dinosaurs that perhaps only visited the river for drinking and feeding along its banks,” they write.

In 2014, palaeontologist Nizar Ibrahim first made the case for a semi-aquatic Spinosaurus. Others who examined the fossils disagreed, arguing the dinosaur was a topsy-turvy floater at best, driven into the water by hunger for fish. Its skeleton, they said, was unsinkable. 

Then, earlier this year, Ibrahim and his colleagues found a fossilised Spinosaurus tail – what some scientists have called a ‘game-changer‘.

The discovery added far more weight to the idea that this giant predator (famous for its cameo in Jurassic Park) spent at least some time swimming in the water (as it did in the film). So much so, the team declared its tail the first “unambiguous evidence for an aquatic propulsive structure in a dinosaur”.

The new find in Morocco erases even more doubt. Ibrahim and his colleagues are now arguing the spinosaur was not just semi-aquatic but “largely aquatic” and spent “much of its life in water”, where its teeth were shed at what is speculated to be a similar rate to modern crocodiles.

While many other Spinosaurus fossils have been obtained commercially, with unknown origins, these teeth come from the prehistoric Kem Kem river system, which once flowed from Morocco all the way to Algeria.

The ancient waterway, now long gone, was home to Cretaceous creatures like the sawfish, crocodiles, flying reptiles and, along its banks, dinosaurs.

During reconnaissance field work in the south east of Morocco, scientists discovered a sandstone bed of bone absolutely ridden with Cretaceous fossils.

Just over a kilometre away, the team met several miners in action, and they bought all the fossils the workers had found in the ancient river bank.

Spinosaur teeth have particular features that make them easy to identify, allowing the researchers to focus on them; the team found hundreds of fragments from the Spinosaurus – far more than any other dinosaur, or fish for that matter.

The authors admit the teeth might have gathered here from the Spinosaurus wading along the banks of the river, snatching its prey from the safety of the shore. But while the reptile’s long neck might match up with that theory, its hind limbs aren’t anything like those of modern wading birds, which are closely related to dinosaurs. 

In fact, the authors say the short hindlimbs of spinosaurs are only consistent with one form of avian locomotion: active swimming.

And then there’s simply the sheer number of teeth. Other dinosaurs were known to shed their teeth and wade on the shores of this river, too, so why are Spinosaurus fossils everywhere?

“With such an abundance of Spinosaurus teeth, it is highly likely that this animal was living mostly within the river rather than along its banks,” argues University of Portsmouth palaeontologist Thomas Beevor.

The study was published in Cretaceous Research.

#Nature

[doggendoodle]

New Horizons Status Report #14 (Day 5)

I think after this report, I’m only going to do one a day. Makes things easier on me, y’know? I’ll divide them by session to make them easier to read

Session 1

Dug up two fossils on the cliffs - a diplo skull and an ophthalmo torso

Got a recipe for a bamboo floor lamp from "Kitt"

Made a wooden-mosaic wall

Bought the "Test Your DIY Skills" pack

Redeemed my Nook Miles Ticket, and ended up on a pretty simple island. No villagers, so whoever our 5th neighbour is gonna be is basically guaranteed to be random. Found a recipe for a d-deer decoration from "Capt. Bones T. Crafter". Caught a couple tadpoles, and brought home a bunch of stuff to sell

Did a lot of redecorating, a spot of capitalism and a *ton* of customization. Sent Boots a wrapped pot

Boots complimented my vest with binoculars, saying I was keeping it simple to draw attention to my sweet* triceps. I-Is that a flirt? Is Boots is flirting with me?

Caught a few ladybugs, a honeybee, an orchid mantis on the cliffs, raised enough money for 2 copies of "K.K. Moody"

I visit Paula in her house, and she's doing some DIY. She's making a ton of wooden-block items, which is just what I was doing O.O I make some ratatouille, customize my set of wooden-block items with the mixed-wood style, make a mini workbench and do some significant redecorating. I'm almost out of custo-kits, so I gather some stuff to sell and CATCH A SECOND OARFISH, SWEET

The random stuff I collect sells for 9,770 Bells. The oarfish by itself? Nine. Thousand. Bells. I buy the Wildest Dreams DIY kit and some wallpaper and flooring. I also get the imperial and lattice fence recipes from the Nook Stop, a Nook Miles Ticket for later, and some merch (knapsack and aloha shirt)

 I give Boots an old-fashioned washtub, and he gives me a PJ outfit in return

Session 2

Shoot down a recipe for a bamboo noodle slide, and dig up a fossilised dinosaur track (new!)

Visit Jeremiah, who's still unpacking, do a little redecorating of my own, and shake up my appearance

I tried to talk to Paula, but she insulted me, so I went to Nook's Cranny instead. She changed up her tune real quick, though, when she remembered Boots' plan. She gives me a stone tablet, which I place in the middle of the forest

Session 3

Decided to hunt for a tarantula island.

First attempt: island is nothing special, but I fish up a tire and TWO STURGEONS and catch four stinkbugs, two of them man-faced, and a centipede. All the stuff I gather on the island sells for 18,820 Bells.

Second attempt: Bamboo island. I saw a tarantula but scared it away, and managed to break both my axes and my shovel :/ Amongst the bamboo shoots was a fossil that turned out to be an anomalocaris. All the stuff I gathered sold for 7,400 Bells.

Third attempt: Waterfall island. Got a recipe from "Mira" for a shell partition and caught an olive flounder and a football fish. All the stuff I gathered sold for 16,025 Bells.

Ironically, I managed to catch a tarantula after dropping off our new catches with Blathers! Using the sneak trick. With all that done, we're finishing the day with 50k+ Bells.

I find Wisp the ghost while looking for more tarantulas on the cliffs. I manage to scare the spriit off of him, so I go to collect it again, and en route, Boots compliments the dead body I left outside my house. I hand over Wisp's spirit and he gives me the choice between something new or something expensive. I choose something new, and he gives me a sushi chef hat, neat!