Fossil Unveils First Proof of Ancient Gondwana Marine Life
Researchers have discovered a fossilized ichthyosaur in Queensland, Australia, containing the remains of a pterosaur in its gut. This finding provides rare evidence of a complex three-tier food web in the ancient Eromanga Sea.
Why it matters
This discovery offers a unique behavioral snapshot of Cretaceous marine ecosystems, advancing paleontological understanding of ancient predator-prey dynamics.
ANSTO has supported research that has revealed for the first time marine reptile ichthyosaurs consumed pterosaurs before becoming prey themselves to giant marine predators.
This extraordinary fossil discovered near Richmond in Outback Queensland has provided one of the clearest behavioural snapshots ever recovered from Australia's Cretaceous fossil record.
Published today in the peer-reviewed journal Gondwana Research, the study documents a complex three-tier food web operating within Queensland's ancient Eromanga Sea more than 100 million years ago.
During excavation, researchers recovered several dense concretions immediately behind the skull. Rather than mechanically preparing the material and risking damage, the team led by University of New England Research Associate Dr Matt White collaborated with Dr Joseph Bevitt at ANSTO's Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, to use advanced neutron imaging to digitally examine their contents.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in