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New evidence of the prehistoric ocean world by dog-eating dogs has been revealed by fossil hunters who unearthed the remains of a giant marine reptile with another huge beast in its stomach.
Digged in southwestern China in 2010, the animals are believed to have lived in the Middle Triassic.
The team claim that the largest fossil, nearly 5 meters long, is the remains of a marine reptile known as the ichthyosaur – creatures with a long snout, similar in appearance to a dolphin – while the smallest fossil inside, about 4 meters long, belongs to a species called Xinpusaurus xingyiensis, a type of marine reptile known as a thalattosaurus.
The international team of researchers say that the ichthyosaur, Guizhouichthyosaurus, It was not previously thought to have been a prominent predator – not least because its teeth lacked sharp edges and were considered best suited for gripping soft prey such as squid. But the results suggest otherwise, revealing that his last meal was a creature larger than an adult human.
“This probably represents the oldest record of megafaunal predation by a marine reptile,” the team wrote in the iScience journal, adding that the find had also broken records for the longest prey of these creatures.
The findings could also change the reputations of other creatures: “There were many more Mesozoic marine reptiles with similar gripping teeth, so megafaunal predation was probably more widespread than what is currently being conceived,” the team said. .
While the team said it was not clear whether the ichthyosaur was after the thalattosaurus or if it had just recovered the meal, they said the former was more likely.
“If a predator other than Guizhouichthyosaurus killed the thalattosaurus in question, then it would be strange if the trunk and nutrient limbs were left untouched by the predator, ”they said. Among other evidence they noted that the decay of a dead creature would have been rapid, the head and tail of the thalattosaurus appear to have been torn off before eating, while the thalattosaurus was probably ingested near the surface as it would have took a long time to swallow.
Dr Nick Fraser, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Scotland who was not involved in the work, said it can often be difficult to ensure that one creature has been eaten by another, rather than just two fossils. lying on top of each other, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for the new find.
“In this case, I find it very convincing that the Xinpusaurus is indeed the Guizhouichthyosaurus last meal, ”he said, adding the stake-shaped teeth of the larger reptile made it surprising that he could grab and swallow the thalattosaurus.
“I agree with the authors to say [Xinpusaurus] was probably captured alive rather than recovered, but perhaps [the thalattosaur] was not a healthy person, ”he said.
“Anyway, I think it’s clear that this was a step too far for the ichthyosaur. As such, it could represent a fairly rare event in a day in the life of a Triassic marine reptile. But it does bring to life a cameo of animal interactions in the seas some 230 million years ago.
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