– We have been searching for fossils since we were twenty years old, says Frenchman Eric Monserrier in a press statement.
Nearly 400 pieces have now been found, along with Sylvie Monserret-Gouguen. The two have fossil exploration as a hobby.
470 million years
French scientists are very excited about this discovery. They believe the fossils are very special.
Eric Monseret researches fossils as a hobby. Here he found a real gold mine. Eric Monseret researches fossils as a hobby. Here he found a real gold mine. Photo: Sylvie and Eric Monserret
The fossils are said to be about 470 million years old. It was a long time before dinosaurs came into existence. The fossils were found in an area called Montenegro, located in the far south of France.
It is a mountainous area not very far from the border with Spain. The fossils were found in the valley between the mountains.
Warm period on Earth
When these animals died and fossils formed, the ocean expanded here. Therefore, animals from the sea are found in fossilized form inside.
You can read about what fossils actually are In another article on ung.forskning.no. People have probably found fossils in all eras. Previously, some people believed that the fossils were of dragons and other mysterious creatures.
Article continues below adArticle continues below ad
At the time the fossils were created, the Earth was very warm, say researchers who closely studied the fossils in a new study.
The researchers weren't just ordinary fossil animals. There was also something more private.
(Status continues below image).
The two images in the middle are supposedly of animals that look somewhat like enlarged centipedes. (Image: from the study of Farid Saleh and others, 2024)
Soft parts are rare
The researchers' investigations show a mixture of animals related to shrimp and jellyfish living today. They also found corals and sponges. There were many shells and shells.
In addition, they found remains of soft parts of extinct animals. The remains were fossilized in the same way as shells.
Article continues below adArticle continues below ad
However, the researchers were able to see the shape of some of the animals' entrails. Researchers say it is very rare to find 470 million-year-old guts.
Because of the heat, scientists believe that the animals moved away from the equator, that is, the center of the Earth. They believe that they gathered, among other things, at this place, the northernmost point of the equator.
Article continues below ad
Perhaps this is what fossil animals looked like when they lived underwater. (Photo: Christian McCall)
Fossil fish heart
The discoveries of fossils that were once fairly soft are not entirely unique.
Ung.forskning.no has also written about some researchers who Find a fossil heart from a fish. It must be about 380 million years old. A little more recent, but still long before the age of dinosaurs.
The researchers who examined the fish's heart explained that it is unusual to find soft parts of the animal's body in fossils.
It is unusual to find it undone. The fossil core was still heart-shaped.
sources:
The study we are writing about here was conducted by researcher Farid Saleh with several colleagues.
The research has been published In the scientific journal Nature.
The images of fossils in this article are also taken from the article published in Nature.
Farid Saleh works at the University of Lausanne in France. The university wrote about the results In a press release.
(This issue It was first published in Ung.forskning.no).
“Explorer. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Alcohol fanatic. Certified writer. Wannabe tv evangelist. Twitter fanatic. Student. Web scholar. Travel buff.”
