Энэхүү олдвор нь эртний Эромангын тэнгисийн экосистем дэх амьтдын зан төлөвийн шууд баримтыг анх удаа харуулж байна.
Квийнслэндийн Ричмонд хотын ойрмогц олборлосон ихтиозавр амьтны чулуужсан үлдэгдэл нь птерозавр буюу нисдэг рептиль идэж, улмаар Кронозавр куинслэндикус хэмээх аварга том далайн рептилийн олз болсныг “Gondwana Research” сэтгүүлд нийтэлжээ. 100 сая гаруй жилийн өмнөх хоол тэжээлийн энэхүү ховор дараалал нь нэгж олдвороос гурван түвшний хүнсний гинжин хэлхээг анх удаа баримтжуулсан тохиолдол болж байна.
Судлаачид Австралийн Цөмийн шинжлэх ухаан, технологийн байгууллагын синкротрон КТ сканнерын тусламжтайгаар чулуужсан толгойн хэсэг дэх нунтагласан яснууд болон нисдэг рептилийн эрүүний хэлтсийг гэмтээхгүйгээр илрүүлжээ. Шинэ Английн их сургуулийн судлаач, доктор Мэтт Уайт уг ихтиозаврын гавлын ясны ард хазуулсан ул мөр, птерозаврын үлдэгдэл байгааг олж хараад гайхширснаа илэрхийлжээ.
Зургаагаас долоон метрийн урттай Platypterygius australis төрлийн энэхүү ихтиозаврын араг ясанд бутлуулсан хазуулсан ул мөр, хагарсан яс, дутуу хэсгүүд илэрсэн нь түүнийг өөр махчин амьтан барьсныг гэрчилж байна. Dinosaur Experiences Australia байгууллагын мэдээлснээр уг гэмтэл нь Цэрдийн галавын үеийн Австралийн дотоод тэнгисийн давамгай махчин pliosaur төрлийн аварга Kronosaurus queenslandicus амьтны дайралт эсвэл сэг зэмээр хооллосон явдалтай тохирч байгаа юм. Палеонтологч доктор Дин Ломакс энэ бол Австралийн Цэрдийн галавын тэнгисийн зан төлөвийн тод бөгөөд ховор жишээ хэмээн тодорхойлжээ.
Уг олдворыг анх 2019 оны наймдугаар сард Ричмонд орчмын олон нийтийн малтлагын талбайгаас Майк, Кэти Фрийман болон Гэри, Барб Флевеллинг нар олж, “Ясны уут” хэмээн нэрлэж байв. Гурван жилийн дараа Kronosaurus Korner музейн куратор Кевин Петерсен уг талбай руу буцаж очиж, найман метр гаруй үргэлжлэх ихтиозаврын үлдэгдлийг бүрэн илрүүлжээ. Эл музейд хадгалагдаж буй уг бүтэн олдворыг бэлтгэхэд ажилчид болон сайн дурын ажилтнууд 600 гаруй цаг зарцуулсан байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A fossil discovered near Richmond, Queensland, has provided the first definitive evidence that an ichthyosaur ate a pterosaur before becoming prey itself to the giant marine reptile Kronosaurus queenslandicus. The specimen, described in the journal Gondwana Research, captures an exceptionally rare sequence of feeding interactions that unfolded more than 100 million years ago.
Researchers say the find offers an unusual glimpse into the ecosystem of the ancient Eromanga Sea, preserving direct evidence of animal behavior rather than relying solely on skeletal anatomy. The fossil records a three-level food chain in a single specimen, something never conclusively documented before.
For paleontologists, fossils containing stomach contents are already uncommon. Specimens that also preserve traces of another predator attacking the same animal are even rarer. This combination makes the Queensland discovery particularly valuable for reconstructing interactions between marine reptiles that lived during the Lower Cretaceous.
According to Dinosaur Experiences Australia, the fossil belongs to Platypterygius australis, a dolphin-shaped ichthyosaur measuring between six and seven meters long. Researchers combined traditional fossil preparation with advanced imaging technology to uncover details hidden inside the rock without damaging the specimen.
Fossilized Stomach Contents Reveal An Unexpected Meal
The most striking evidence came from several rock nodules located behind the ichthyosaur’s skull. Rather than opening them mechanically, researchers sent the material to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), where synchrotron CT scanning allowed scientists to examine the interior.
Based on the study, available in the journal Gondwana Research, the scans revealed fish remains, squid-like belemnites, shell fragments, and fragments of a flying reptile’s jaw. Those remains were identified as belonging to a pterosaur, providing what researchers describe as the first definitive evidence anywhere in the world that an ichthyosaur consumed one of these flying reptiles.
“I was amazed by the size of the ichthyosaur, and shocked to see it littered with bite marks and partially exposed pterosaur remains behind the skull,” said lead author Dr. Matt White, Research Associate at the University of New England.
A Set of Bite Marks Solved the Mystery
The fossil preserves more than evidence of a final meal. The ichthyosaur’s skeleton also bears extensive crushing bite marks, shattered bones, and missing sections that indicate the marine reptile itself became the target of another predator.
As mentioned in a release, published by Dinosaur Experiences Australia, the damage is consistent with either an attack or a scavenging event involving Kronosaurus queenslandicus, a giant pliosaur regarded as one of the dominant predators inhabiting Australia’s inland sea during the Cretaceous. Paleontologist Dr. Dean Lomax, who participated in the research, described the specimen as;
“It’s one of the clearest examples ever discovered of a three-tier predator interaction and offers an unprecedented snapshot of behavior in Australia’s Cretaceous seas. This extraordinary fossil records a trophic interaction between a pterosaur eaten by an ichthyosaur that was then partly consumed by a giant pliosaur. It gives us direct evidence of behavior in the Eromanga Sea.”
The research team stated that the preserved stomach contents and bite damage record an extraordinary sequence of events linking a pterosaur, an ichthyosaur, and a kronosaurus in a single fossil record.
What Scientists Found in a Bag of Bones?
The discovery began in August 2019, when visitors Mike and Cathy Freeman and Gary and Barb Flewelling found large fossilized bones at a public fossicking site outside Richmond. The bones were collected in bags and informally nicknamed B.O.B., short for “Bag of Bones.”
Three years later, Kevin Petersen, curator of Kronosaurus Korner Museum, returned to the site and uncovered the remainder of the specimen, revealing a partially articulated ichthyosaur extending almost eight meters across the excavation.
“More than 600 volunteer and staff hours were invested preparing the specimen before several unusual rock nodules behind the skull prompted scientists to investigate further,” as reported by Dinosaur Experiences Australia.
The completed specimen is now housed at Kronosaurus Korner Museum, while Australian paleoartist Peter Trusler produced the scientific illustrations accompanying the publication after consulting closely with the research team.
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