Fossils of ancient marine life were attacked by many predators

2024-08-29 11:12:02

Scavenger sharks begin to gather to take an easy piece of large prey, while an unknown crocodile attacks an ancient sea cow. – JAIME BRAN SARMIENTO

MADRID, 29 years ago. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Scientists have discovered a rare case of an animal that was attacked by multiple predators during the Early to Middle Miocene period, between 23 and 11.6 million years ago.

Studies show that the extinct sea cow was first hunted by an ancient crocodile, then a shark took its revenge. in what is now northwestern Venezuela.

The deep bite marks on the snout of the manatee suggests that it may have tried to silence its prey by picking its nose. Other large incisions suggest that the crocodile pulled and tore apart the sea cow, possibly a “death shift.” a behavior also seen in modern crocodiles. A tooth from a tiger shark, found near a manatee’s neck, with shark bite marks on the bone, shows that The rest was later scavenged by sharks.

The findings support the idea of ​​the Ancient food chains functioned similarly to today’s.

“Today, we often observe other animals preying on predators, but finding fossil evidence of this behavior is rare,” he said. in a word lead author Aldo Benites-Palomino of the Department of Paleontology at the University of Zurich. “While we already know that sperm whales are harmed by many sharks, this new discovery shows the importance of sea cows in the ancient food chain.”

Although there is fossil evidence of food chain interactions, it is generally ambiguous and difficult to interpret. “Our findings provide rare insight into the complex predator-prey relationships of the Miocene, and provides one of the few records of multiple predators eating the same prey“added Benites-Palomino.

The fossils were discovered in the Early to Middle Miocene Agua Clara Formation, near Coro, Venezuela, during an expedition by Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra, co-author of the study. The team discovered a partial skeleton, including part of the skull and eighteen vertebrae, at a site 100 kilometers from previous fossil finds in the area. Sánchez-Villagra, who is also the director of the Department of Paleontology and Paleontological Collection at UZH said: “We learned about the discovery of the site by a local farmer who noticed some unusual rocks. “The first fossils found were parts of skulls, which were from sea cows, a surprising discovery.“.

Determining the age of fossils requires careful analysis of the geology and sediments of the site. The study of the skeleton required many visits and a lot of effort due to the large size of the animal and the amount of sediment that had to be removed. The best preservation of fossils, aided by the good sediments in which they are embedded, allows the group to clearly observe evidence of predation.

Sánchez-Villagra explains: “After finding the site, we set up a scientific permit operation, which involves carefully removing the fossils with a fully protected envelope.” “The work took about seven hours with a team of five people, and the preparation and restoration of the cranial elements took several months.”