The discovery reveals the oldest fossil of its kind, suggesting a biological origin and possible link to marine reptiles from the Jurassic period.
Stomach stone from Kimmeridge, England 150 million years According to the journal Proceedings of the Society of Geologists, Considered to be the oldest calculus ever discovered, the stone, shaped like a fist, is approximately 59 million years older than any other find so far on the Galileo website.
Investigations
paleontologist, Steve Etchess, Found the pattern Jurassic Coast and, in collaboration with other researchers, analyzed the composition. A detailed study ruled out the possibility that the specimen was formed by geological processes, confirming its biological origin.
Internal structure of stone a Gastrointestinal calculus, is naturally conceived by the accumulation of minerals under certain dietary or environmental conditions. Although these calculations were already found in Egyptian mummies, Its occurrence in fossils Considered rare.
Nigel LarkinThe man who conducted the searches told the media:
“Unless stomach stones are actually preserved within the skeleton, it is almost impossible to tell what kind of animal they formed. Since this stone is large and has been found in clay since the Upper Jurassic period, we can imagine that the calculus formed inside a large marine reptile such as an ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, pliosaur or crocodile,” he explained. Larkin.
The discovery joins the body of fossil records and numerous collections of fossils found in Kimmeridgian rocks. Therefore, the presence of this stone confirms that this biological event occurred in marine paleoenvironments, and not just in terrestrial environments.
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