12 Unbelievable Fossil Discoveries
- 6 years ago
You wont believe these amazing fossil discoveries that change the way we think about the creatures that once roamed this earth!\r
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7. A Gigantic Ant Fossil\r
A fossil of a gigantic ant was discovered by a group of four paleontologists that included two from the Simon Fraser University. The fossil is dated at being around 50 million years old and gives the modern world a look at how global warming events had an effect on life all those years ago. The group of scientists has named the new species of giant ant Titanomyrma lubei. This particular ant wasnt just any old ant either, it was the winged queen of its colony. She lived in what is known as the Eocene Epoch and her body measures a little over five centimeters long. \r
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6. A 66 Pound Rhino Skull\r
This happens to be an extremely rare fossil of a rhinoceros that once lived in what is now modern-day Turkey. Researchers figured out that the cause of the rhinos death was sudden and ended violently. It was revealed that this animal died at the hands of a volcano some 9.2 million years ago. A paleontologist named Pierre-Olivier Antoine of the University of Montpellier in France believes that fragments from volcanic rocks struck the rhino and that a river of ash and rock is responsible for dismembering the body and “baking” the skull at a temperature of 840 degrees Fahrenheit. Most fossils arent found in volcanic rock, only 2 percent of fossils are because they disintegrate. The skull equipped with brittle teeth is even rare because it came from a mammal.\r
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5. A Nest of 15 Baby Dinosaurs \r
Back in new, a University of Rhode Island paleontologist named David Fastovsky and his colleagues had discovered a fossilized nest of 15 baby dinosaurs in Mongolia. The dinosaurs were later identified as baby protoceratops andrewsi who are dated at being 70 million years old. Out of the 15 specimens, there are 10 juveniles that are fully complete. This find marks the first nest to be found for this genus and shows that this species of dinosaur lived in nests for a considerably extended amount of time in order to mature and were cared for by their parents.\r
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4. A Mystery Fossil Solved\r
It was back in 1958 when an amateur fossil hunter named Francis Tully had discovered the fossilized remains of a puzzling marine-animal in the northeastern part of Illinois, leaving scientist baffled and unable to identify it. Researchers have spent half a century trying to decipher what kind of creature this could be that was dated at being 307 million years old. Scientists finally were able to figure out what this elusive creature was and that it was nothing more than a prehistoric lamprey. Scientifically dubbed as Tullimonstrum gregarium, the ancient lamprey was measured at being 14 inches long with a narrow dorsal fin and vertical tail fin. The jawless vertebrate used its snout to latch onto its prey and then scrape off pieces with its tongue. \r
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3. Perus Giant Penguins\r
When you think of penguins you instantly think of their cold home in the South Pole. But what doesnt come to mind is that they could live somewhere such as Peru? Well, thats where scientists discovered that a species of giant penguin used to reside almost 36 million years ago. Scientifically known as Inkayacu paracasensis, the Inkayacu penguin could grow to be up to around 5 feet long and weighing about as much as a fully grown human would. This is much taller and heavier than the biggest penguin species alive today, the emperor penguin. It was known to have a hyper-elongated bill in order to help it scoop up fish from the ocean.\r
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2. A 100-million-year-old Spider Fossil\r
Fossils have an interesting way of preserving life and they usually hold a story to go along with how the preserved specimen spent the last few moments of their life. But what makes this fossil so particularly rare is that it shows the story of life and death. This piece of fossilized amber shows a spider about to feast on its prey and it is the only fossil ever to be found that depicts a spider attack. The amber was dated at being 100 million years old and is a perfect snapshot. Researchers found that the spider lived in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar during the early Cretaceous period.\r
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1. A Megalodon Jaw\r
Megalodon was once considered as the apex predator of the ocean when it swam the seas roughly 2.6 million years ago. Its also the biggest predator to ever have existed on this entire planet. Megalodons could reach up to a staggering length of 52 feet long and weigh a massive 100 tons. Thankfully, this terrifying species of shark died out around 1.5 million years ago. The famous fossil hunter Vito “Megalodon” Bertucci spent nearly 20 years of his life trying to rebuild this Megalodon ja
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Subscribe for new videos weekly!\r
\r
7. A Gigantic Ant Fossil\r
A fossil of a gigantic ant was discovered by a group of four paleontologists that included two from the Simon Fraser University. The fossil is dated at being around 50 million years old and gives the modern world a look at how global warming events had an effect on life all those years ago. The group of scientists has named the new species of giant ant Titanomyrma lubei. This particular ant wasnt just any old ant either, it was the winged queen of its colony. She lived in what is known as the Eocene Epoch and her body measures a little over five centimeters long. \r
\r
6. A 66 Pound Rhino Skull\r
This happens to be an extremely rare fossil of a rhinoceros that once lived in what is now modern-day Turkey. Researchers figured out that the cause of the rhinos death was sudden and ended violently. It was revealed that this animal died at the hands of a volcano some 9.2 million years ago. A paleontologist named Pierre-Olivier Antoine of the University of Montpellier in France believes that fragments from volcanic rocks struck the rhino and that a river of ash and rock is responsible for dismembering the body and “baking” the skull at a temperature of 840 degrees Fahrenheit. Most fossils arent found in volcanic rock, only 2 percent of fossils are because they disintegrate. The skull equipped with brittle teeth is even rare because it came from a mammal.\r
\r
5. A Nest of 15 Baby Dinosaurs \r
Back in new, a University of Rhode Island paleontologist named David Fastovsky and his colleagues had discovered a fossilized nest of 15 baby dinosaurs in Mongolia. The dinosaurs were later identified as baby protoceratops andrewsi who are dated at being 70 million years old. Out of the 15 specimens, there are 10 juveniles that are fully complete. This find marks the first nest to be found for this genus and shows that this species of dinosaur lived in nests for a considerably extended amount of time in order to mature and were cared for by their parents.\r
\r
4. A Mystery Fossil Solved\r
It was back in 1958 when an amateur fossil hunter named Francis Tully had discovered the fossilized remains of a puzzling marine-animal in the northeastern part of Illinois, leaving scientist baffled and unable to identify it. Researchers have spent half a century trying to decipher what kind of creature this could be that was dated at being 307 million years old. Scientists finally were able to figure out what this elusive creature was and that it was nothing more than a prehistoric lamprey. Scientifically dubbed as Tullimonstrum gregarium, the ancient lamprey was measured at being 14 inches long with a narrow dorsal fin and vertical tail fin. The jawless vertebrate used its snout to latch onto its prey and then scrape off pieces with its tongue. \r
\r
3. Perus Giant Penguins\r
When you think of penguins you instantly think of their cold home in the South Pole. But what doesnt come to mind is that they could live somewhere such as Peru? Well, thats where scientists discovered that a species of giant penguin used to reside almost 36 million years ago. Scientifically known as Inkayacu paracasensis, the Inkayacu penguin could grow to be up to around 5 feet long and weighing about as much as a fully grown human would. This is much taller and heavier than the biggest penguin species alive today, the emperor penguin. It was known to have a hyper-elongated bill in order to help it scoop up fish from the ocean.\r
\r
2. A 100-million-year-old Spider Fossil\r
Fossils have an interesting way of preserving life and they usually hold a story to go along with how the preserved specimen spent the last few moments of their life. But what makes this fossil so particularly rare is that it shows the story of life and death. This piece of fossilized amber shows a spider about to feast on its prey and it is the only fossil ever to be found that depicts a spider attack. The amber was dated at being 100 million years old and is a perfect snapshot. Researchers found that the spider lived in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar during the early Cretaceous period.\r
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1. A Megalodon Jaw\r
Megalodon was once considered as the apex predator of the ocean when it swam the seas roughly 2.6 million years ago. Its also the biggest predator to ever have existed on this entire planet. Megalodons could reach up to a staggering length of 52 feet long and weigh a massive 100 tons. Thankfully, this terrifying species of shark died out around 1.5 million years ago. The famous fossil hunter Vito “Megalodon” Bertucci spent nearly 20 years of his life trying to rebuild this Megalodon ja