A remarkable fossil, discovered in Denmark's Stevns Klint, captures a fish's regurgitalite from 66 million years ago, just before the dinosaur extinction. This fossil offers vital insights into ancient marine ecosystems, specifically predator-prey dynamics. Curator Jesper Milan emphasized its significance for understanding Cretaceous food chains, while expert Paul Olsen noted the fossil's well-preserved nature, highlighting that it represents a 'gastric ejection' rather than typical vomit. The predator was likely consuming sea lilies, illustrating the contemporary presence of such deep-sea creatures and their historical context.
It is truly an unusual find. Such a find provides important new knowledge about the relationship between predators and prey and the food chains in the Cretaceous sea.
This particular fossil, if you look carefully at the image that's provided, you see that the edges of the fossils are very sharp and clear.
He calls it a 'gastric ejection' instead, likening it to chewing on and spitting out sunflower seed shells.
The predator was attempting to eat sea lilies, also called crinoids. The deep-sea creatures, which could be mistaken for plants, still exist today.
Collection
[
|
...
]