Wednesday 6 March 2013

fossiled giant species found.




Ancient superpredator ate sharks for lunch
Published March 05, 2013 Associated Press
Present-day Erie was under a saltwater ocean 364 million years ago.And a top-of-the-food-chain predator in that ancient ocean ate sharks for lunch. And for breakfast and dinner, too.Erie geologist Scott McKenzie is patiently putting together pieces of the skull and shoulder armor of that powerful prehistoric fish, Dunkleosteus, the rest of whose remains are embedded in sandy shale in an Erie County location he cannot reveal in an agreement with the private property owners.Now that spring is almost here, McKenzie, colleagues from other universities and geology students will return to the site to see if erosion through wind, rain and snow have exposed more bones.

Woolly rhino site reveals ancient British temperature
By Michelle Warwicker BBC Nature
Scientists studying an exceptionally well-preserved woolly rhinoceros have revealed details of what Britain's environment was like 42,000 years ago.The beast's remains were discovered in Staffordshire in 2002, buried alongside other preserved organisms such as beetles and non-biting midges.The research team used these climate-sensitive insects to calculate that summer temperatures in Britain would have averaged just 10C, and dropped to -22C in winter.

Giant camel fossil found in Arctic
By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service
Camels are well known for their ability to survive the hot and dry conditions of the desert, but a study suggests they once thrived in colder climes. Scientists have unearthed the fossilised remains of a giant species of camel in Canada's High Arctic. An analysis of protein found in the bones has revealed that this creature, which lived about 3.5 million years ago, is an ancestor of today's species

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