‘It’s a history lesson’: fossil fish up to 16m years old found perfectly preserved in central NSW | Fossils

Failure fossils have been detected wonderfully that scientists managed to rebuild their last days by 16 meters in Central New South Wales.

Several fossils of small fresh water fish, which are included in an iron -rich metal called Goethite in MCGRATHS Flat FossilKeep microscopic structural features, including stomach contents and outline of cells that determine color.

This extraneous level of details – including the slim fish shape and the position of their bones and their fins – revealed a lot of species, named Ferruaspis Brooksiand The main author, Dr. Matthew McCuri, Cases Secretary at the Australian Museum, said.

“In the science of cases, there are often a lot of gaps. McCuri said:” We usually find isolated bones for certain types. “” We can not often see the whole animal, and we rarely see things like the reserved soft tissue. “

McCuri said that the discovery, published in vertebrates, provided the first detailed guide in Australia to a group of fish called Osmeriforms, which includes today Graylings and Smelts.

Unusually, the fossils kept the colored cell residue, which is called melanovavra, including small melanin granules inside melanosomat (measuring slightly more than a thousand millimeters).

This level of details “pushing the boundaries” of what can be preserved.

Among these microscopic details, the authors decided that the fish “shaded” – darker on top and lighter in the abdomen – with two lines along their sides.

The contents of the stomach for animals have also been preserved, and in some cases the intestinal system.

Fariz said when he was seen under a high -energy microscope, the stomachs of fish were full of fake fake larvae antennas (a type of insect), parts and pieces of half wings, even small mussels, or two -dimensional.

He said that these minute details provided a glimpse into the lives of fish in its last days.

He said that the excavations were buried at the bottom of the lake, such as Bilabong, which was separated from nearby rivers. However, a secondary secondary duo, connected to fish, suggested that the animals came from a nearby river.

This river may be immersed or spilled into the lake, where the fish may have pushed themselves on the larvae of Phantom Midge. “They died with a complete stomach,” said Freiz.

The evolutionary biologist and the world of sale, Dr. Alice Clement, who did not participate in the paper, said that the analysis of melanovies to rebuild color patterns was “great progress in the study of fossil fish.”

The colors and patterns were important in the animal world – used to attract his colleagues, warn of predators and camouflage. She said that the study of these characteristics in the excavations was still in their cradle.

This type was named after Professor Jochen J Brooks, from the Australian National University, which discovered many fossilized species on the McGraths Flat.

In addition to detailed visions about the same species, fossils provided an “unprecedented opportunity” to understand the old ecosystems in Australia and the development of fish during myosin, as a associated.

The world of professor said Dramatic environmental changeWhen the deserts expanded and the forests decreased.

“It helps us to estimate the diversity of unique animals in Australia and how they evolved to deal with changing climate conditions.”

Fariz said that the detection of fossils in McGraths Flat was like turning the individual pieces of mosaic upside down.

He said that the more it turns, the more it reveals the environment surrounding the lake. Over time, a larger image appeared on how species evolved, and how continents and landscapes turned into a critical point in history.

“At that time these fish died and preserved, this was a transitional period for Australia,” he said. “It is basically a lesson in history, or a geological lesson, what happens if the climate changes mainly.”