Шинээр илэрсэн 210 сая жилийн өмнөх олдвор нь эртний матар төст амьтдын хувьсал болон тэдгээрийн хооллох онцлогийн ялгааг тодруулж байна.
Шинэ Мексик дэх Гост Ранч олдворын газраас 1948 онд малтсан ба бараг 80 жилийн турш Йелийн их сургуулийн Байгалийн түүхийн Пибоди музейн цуглуулгад хадгалагдаж байсан чулуужсан олдворт судалгаа хийжээ. “Proceedings of the Royal Society B” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн уг судалгаагаар энэхүү олдворыг Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa хэмээх цоо шинэ төрөл зүйл болохыг тогтоосон байна. Энэ амьтан нь ойролцоогоор 210 сая жилийн өмнө буюу Триасын галавын сүүл үед амьдарч байжээ.
Тухайн үед тус бүс нутагт хурдан хөдөлгөөнтэй, урт хошуутай махчин болох Hesperosuchus agilis амьдарч байсан бөгөөд шинээр тогтоосон Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa нь богино хошуутай, бэхлэгдсэн гавлын ястай, эрүүний том булчингуудтай байжээ. Эдгээр анатомийн ялгаа нь тэднийг хүчтэй хазах болон хурд ашиглан хөөж агнах өөр өөр хооллох механизмтай байсныг харуулж байна. Судлаачид эдгээр хоёр амьтныг нэгэн цогц олдворын хэсгээс хамт олсон нь тэднийг нэгэн гамшигт үйл явдлын үеэр дарагдсан байж болзошгүйг илтгэж байна гэж үзжээ.
Энэхүү шинэ төрөл зүйлийг тодорхойлоход компьютер томограф (КТ) дүрслэлийн технологи чухал үүрэг гүйцэтгэсэн бөгөөд чулуунд хучигдсан хэсгүүдийг дижитал хэлбэрээр салгаж судлах боломжийг олгожээ. Судалгааг удирдан явуулсан Йелийн их сургуулийн багийнхан энэхүү олдвор нь динозаврууд болон матар, аллигаторуудын үүсэл хөгжлийн эхэн үеийн экосистемийн олон янз байдлыг ойлгоход чухал ач холбогдолтойг онцолсон байна. Гост Ранч олдворын газраас олдсон энэхүү цаг хугацааны орон зайн олдвор нь эртний амьтдын харилцан үйлчлэл болон хувьслаа хөгжүүлж эхэлсэн үеийн бодит түүхийг харуулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A fossil preserved for nearly 80 years has revealed a previously unknown crocodile relative that lived 210 million years ago in what is now New Mexico. The specimen was excavated in 1948 at Ghost Ranch, a fossil site in northern New Mexico known for its exceptional record of Late Triassic life. It was later stored in the collections of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, where it remained available for study but was never formally identified as a separate species.
Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study identifies Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa as a distinct genus and species. The fossil also reveals that it lived alongside another early crocodile relative, Hesperosuchus agilis, despite the two animals showing different anatomical adaptations.
A Distinct Predator Among Early Crocodile Relatives
The fossil record from Ghost Ranch provides a rare view of ecosystems that existed during the Late Triassic period. Around 210 million years ago, the region contained humid river environments where several types of reptiles lived and hunted. Hesperosuchus agilis was a fast-moving predator with a long snout, powerful hind limbs, and a lighter body structure. These features suggest an animal adapted for speed and pursuit.
Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa displayed a different set of characteristics. Its shorter snout, reinforced skull, and enlarged jaw muscles indicate a more powerful feeding mechanism. The anatomy suggests that this predator relied on stronger bites rather than the same type of agility associated with Hesperosuchus. The two animals were discovered together in the same fossil deposit. Researchers believe they may have been buried during a single catastrophic event.
Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Yale University and senior author of the research, explained, in a press release, that:
“During this period, the late Triassic, there were two reptile dynasties vying for dominance: the line that would produce crocodiles and alligators on one side, and that which would produce birds, which of course are dinosaurs, on the other,” he said.
Hidden Features Finally Revealed
The identification of Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa relied on computed tomography (CT) imaging, which allowed researchers to examine parts of the fossil that remained enclosed within the surrounding rock. Miranda Margulis-Ohnuma, a Ph.D. student in Earth and planetary sciences at Yale and first author of the study, analyzed CT scans produced at the Yale Chemical and Biophysical Imaging Center. The technology enabled the team to digitally separate fossil elements and examine the animal’s anatomy in detail.
The study analysis revealed several differences between the Yale specimen and known examples of Hesperosuchus. These variations, particularly in the skull and facial structure, demonstrated that the fossil represented a previously unknown species.
The study authors named the new genus Eosphorosuchus, combining Eosphorus, the Greek figure associated with the dawn, with soukhos, the Greek word for crocodile. The name refers to the early stage of crocodile evolution represented by the animal.
“Eosphorosuchusis one of only a handful of well-preserved early crocodile relatives, and its coexistence withHesperosuchusrepresents the ‘dawn’ of functional diversification in the lineage that would give rise to modern crocodiles,”Margulis-Ohnuma explained.
Ghost Ranch Reveals a New Fossil
The Ghost Ranch Bone Bed has been studied for almost a century and has produced fossils from a wide range of Late Triassic animals, including early crocodile relatives, fish, lizard relatives, and the dinosaur Coelophysis bauri.
The fossil containing Eosphorosuchus and Hesperosuchus is part of the collection maintained by the Peabody Museum of Natural History. The museum houses two large sections of rock from Ghost Ranch, together measuring roughly the size of a car. The newly described species adds another example of the diversity found among early crocodile relatives before the group evolved into its modern forms.
“It’s a time-slice of a single moment 210 million years ago,” Bhullar said. “These two individuals had to compete and interact with each other. They were quite possibly looking at each other when they died.”
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