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Paleontologists have discovered a newly discovered fish in Australia that has been well preserved to determine its last meal – dating back to the Miocene era and 16 million years.
According to a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, researchers published a study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology that discovered fossil freshwater fish on the McGraths Flat site in central New South Wales, called Ferruaspis Brocksi.
The team dug out a variety of fossils containing F. brocksi, each swallowed, a fossil rich in iron, which maintains the fish with extraordinary details. This rare fossil process allows researchers to examine the structural characteristics of the species, including its soft tissue, stomach, and coloring patterns.
“Every time I learn about the fossils of McGraths Flat in detail, I’m surprised,” said Dr. Michael Frese, an associate professor and virologist at the University of Canberra. “It’s very surprising, and it’s very rare to be able to say the color of such fossil fish.”
In addition to identifying newly discovered species, the researchers found the first detailed evidence in Australia, with Ousmeriformes in Australia (including modern grey and smelters).
So far, scientists can only speculate when it first arrived on the continent due to lack of fossil evidence, Fres said, but the new discovery provides important insights into the ancient ecosystems in the region.
Tracking Prehistoric Food Network
F. Brocksi preserved so much detail that the research team was able to determine its last meal and color pattern. – Hayding Dance/Australia Museum
Using high-power microscopes, paleontologists analyzed the stomach content and intestines of F. Brocksi and found that these fish mainly consisted of various types of phantom midge larvae (almost transparent insect larvae) as well as insect wings, even small bivalve frames, or a Mollusk with hinged shells.
“Understanding their diet helped us start drawing pictures of food chains and food webs in the original environment,” said Dr. Anthony Martin, Ph.D., a practice professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, who was not involved in the research.
A fish specimen is fixed on its caudal fin to freshwater mussels. Frese said this discovery is rare because the discovery of lake sediments in the Broxie River will not support the environment in which bivalves achieve sexual maturation and produce glochidia – the larvae of Frese, the parasitic stage. He added that the parasites likely infected fish in nearby rivers, suggesting a link between the fossil site and nearby waterways.
The stomach content not only helps paleontologists determine what fish are eating, but also helps them eat.
“Many existing debris (Phantom Midge larvae) do not occur in fish lakes, and those that coexist with fish often undergo day and night migration to avoid predatory fish during the day,” Fres said.
“Just as most of the Chaoborus larvae spend most of their time in sediments, hiding in mountain predators, F. Brocksi may prey Chaoborus at night.”
Glance of history
One of the most surprising findings is the presence of melanocytes or pigment cells that give you insight into the color of fish.
Fossils reveal F. Brocksi’s body is slender, similar to modern smelting. The study also provides counter-examination of hair, where the animal is darker on the top and lighter in the stomach, with two stripes extending along the length of its body.
Frese notes that this coloring pattern may indicate shallow behavior in which fish gather in loose social groups. Martin added that the counter may also help the species escape predators from above.
Illustrations by F. Brocksi highlight the appearance of the species 16 million years ago. – Alex Boersma
According to the study, although central New South Wales is characterized by plains and plateaus, the area was surrounded by lush rainforests during the Miocene. The study says the discovery of F. Brocksi in the western segment suggests that unlike most surviving osmeriformes, the species may have spent their lives in freshwater.
“While the focus of this study is on a fish, it is part of a wider ecosystem, and we pieced it together by digging fossils from the site,” Fres said.
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