Hundreds of millions of years ago, a carnivorous critter gorged on a feast of prehistoric amphibians – and puked up its meal afterward.
Paleontologists have now discovered the regurgitation and published the findings.
In 2018, researchers discovered the regurgitalite – fossilized remains of an animal’s stomach contents, also known as a bromalite – during an excavation in the southeastern Utah portion of the Morrison Formation.
This area is rich in fossils that date back to the late Jurassic period (164 to 145 millions years ago) and stretches across the Western United States.
This particular section, which is often called the “Jurassic salami bar” by local paleontologists contains fossilized remains of plants and organic matter rather than bones from animals.
Researchers from Utah Geological Survey (UGS), along with other scientists, discovered the “compact little heap” of retched remains that measured less than one-third of an inch (1 square centimeter). They knew they had found something unique, they reported in a study published in the journal. Palaios.
John Foster, a lead author at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (Vernal), told Live Science that “What struck us most was this small concentration of bone fragments in a relatively large area.”
“Normally, there aren’t any animal remains at this location, only plants. The bones that we did find weren’t spread out.” [amongst the rock]They were concentrated at this one spot. These bones are the first we have ever seen.
Initialy, the team didn’t realize that they had found prehistoric vomit. Foster stated that the scientists initially thought they had found the bones of one animal, but then they realized they were not from one salamander.
“Looking closer, the majority of the material is from both a frog or at least one salamander,” he said. Then we realized that the material was probably being eaten by a predator.
These remains include amphibian bones, particularly femurs. FrogAs well as vertebrae from unidentified species, it can also be used to identify a salamander.
According to the study, there were nearly twelve bone fragments found together with a matrix of fossilized soft cells.
This regurgitation, unlike coprolites (fossilized pee), isn’t fully digested. Researchers have determined that it’s a Regurgitalite.
Foster stated that although there have been many records of regurgitalites all over the globe, this was the first instance at the Morrison Formation. He called the discovery “one-of-a-kind”.
While there’s no way of knowing exactly which species of animal lost its lunch millions of years ago – or why it upchucked in the first place – further analysis could determine other components of the partly digested animals that the predator swallowed.
Foster stated that Foster believes there is more to the matter than just small bones of amphibians. “By performing a chemical analysis, it is possible to rule out certain things and determine the exact composition of soft tissues.”
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This article was first published in Live Science. Please read the Original article available here.
