A 66 million-year-old vomit fossil has been found in Denmark.
Discovered alongside the Stevns Klint coastal cliff, the fossil is regurgitated lumps of sea lily – a kind of marine invertebrate.
They have been eaten throughout the Cretaceous interval tens of tens of millions of years in the past.
Fossil hunter Peter Bennicke made the invention after splitting open a chunk of chalk.
He introduced the fossil to a neighborhood museum the place it was cleaned up and examined by consultants.
It was there John Jagt concluded the stays have been sea lilies that had been eaten by an animal which then threw up the indigestible components.
Such discoveries are invaluable to scientists as a result of they provide a window into historical ecosystems and reveal what predators ate and the way meals chains functioned tens of millions of years in the past.
The discover was named Danekrae DK-1295 – Danekrae are uncommon pure treasures of Denmark.
Picture:
A sea lily – a kind of marine invertebrate. File pic: iStock
However he mentioned it was possible from one thing that specialised in consuming issues with arduous shells, reminiscent of a fish or a bottom-dwelling shark.
He added: “We have found teeth from sharks that were specialised in crushing hard-shelled prey in the same area.
“They’re known as Heterodontus, it is a relative of the trendy Port Jackson shark. That one is excessive on my listing of suspects.”
Mr Milan continued: “It is truly an unusual find.
“Sea lilies usually are not a very nutritious eating regimen, as they primarily include calcareous plates held collectively by only a few delicate components.
“But here is an animal, probably a type of fish, that 66 million years ago ate sea lilies that lived on the bottom of the Cretaceous sea and regurgitated the skeletal parts back up.
“Such a discover supplies vital new data in regards to the relationship between predators and prey and the meals chains within the Cretaceous sea.”
The vomit fossil will likely be displayed in a particular exhibition on the Geomuseum Faxe.
