“Exceptionally Preserved Fossil Unveils a 12-Million-Year-Old Crocodile”
Paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.
The fossil of the gharial – or fish-eating – crocodile, around three meters long (nearly 10 feet), was discovered late 2023 in perfect condition in Peru’s Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital Lima.
“This is the first time we found a juvenile of this species, that is to say, it had not reached its maximum size yet. It died before that,” vertebrate paleontologist Mario Gamarra told a news conference.
The skull and jaws of these specimens differed from that of today’s crocodiles and alligators, according to Gamarra, who headed the reconstruction of the fossil.
“They had an elongated snout and their diet was entirely piscivorous, feeding on fish,” said Gamarra.
“The closest current relative to this crocodile would be the Indian gharial,” he added.
The discovery was made jointly by Peru’s Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute and the La Union school.
Peru’s Ocucaje desert is rich in fossils, such as four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period – between 5 and 23 million years ago – that were previously discovered there.
Source: Science Alert
“Massive Gold Deposit Worth $83 Billion Unearthed in China’s Hunan Province”
China has struck gold — literally — after geologists discovered an estimated $83 billion worth of gold in central China’s Hunan Province, though accessing the underground deposit might be easier said than done.The Geological Bureau of Hunan Province announced their geologists have detected over 40 gold veins with a reserve of 300 tonnes of gold at a depth of 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) beneath the Wangu gold field in Pingjiang County, according to Xinhua Chinese state media. They estimate that further deposits will be found at depths of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), yielding a total of 1,000 tonnes. If accurate, the deposit could be worth up to 600 billion yuan ($83 billion).
“Exceptionally Preserved Fossil Unveils a 12-Million-Year-Old Crocodile”