Rare fossils explain oceanic evolution

Scientists have found dinosaur fossils dating back to more than 450 million years ago, which they believe can reveal how ocean communities have evolved.




Found in a disused Powys quarry, the fossils are believed to be of a kind never discovered before. They belong to the area which is now the town of Llandrindod Wells, once partially lying under water.

Found by paleontologists Dr. Joe Botting, Dr. Lucy Muir and Talfan Barnie in 2004, the fossils are in variety of sponges and worms to nautiloids, which are similar to a squid with a shell.

“The creatures' images are said to be 460m years old and from the part of geological time known as the Ordovician Period,” said Dr. Muir.

There was once an ocean between Scotland and England/Wales and the area around Llandrindod was part of a chain of volcanic islands during the Ordovician Period, a little bit like Indonesia today, Muir described.

"As the island grew and was eroded, a lot of sediment [sand, silt and mud] was washed into the sea. This sediment buried animal remains quickly, and in some cases buried them alive, so they didn't fall apart or get eaten," he added.

X-rays showed a spectacular hydroid which is entirely new and surprising for researchers because they claim it is entirely enclosed within the rock.

"The new fauna gives us a picture of a fossil community that not only is entirely new, but is also surprising. It resembles to some extent some of the modern communities found in the very deep sea," said Muir.

"It shows us that Ordovician ecosystems were even more diverse and complicated than we imagined,” he added.

The fossils have been sent to the Natural History Museum in London to be preserved.

For more information related to dinosaurs, visit rareresource.com.