A secret "extraordinary" fossil site has been found in Wales.
It
contains the preserved eyes and brains
of creatures from 462 million years ago hidden amid a treasure trove of unknown species.
The site is called "Castle Bank" and research published May 1 in the journal
Nature Ecology and Evolution
describes the entire fossil bed.
Illustration of the marine fauna found made with the help of Chinese scientists (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology / Chinese Academy of Sciences).
The site, located in the Welsh county of Powys, belongs to the Middle Ordovician and contains
soft tissues and complete organisms
of the fauna of that geological period.
The discovery was made by a team leading the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
More than 170 species
More than 170 species
have been found so far
, almost all of them new.
Some animals are very small,
1 to 3 mm long
, but retain certain details, the published study statement notes.
More than 170 species have been found so far, almost all of them new (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology / Chinese Academy of Sciences).
Early specimens of animals that evolved later are included, including barnacles, shrimp, and
an
unidentified six-legged insect-like creature.
One of the fossils found in Wales (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology / Chinese Academy of Sciences).
The rocks are also home to the fossilized digestive systems of trilobites and
the eyes and brain
of an unidentified arthropod, as well as preserved worms and sponges.
The exact location of the site is a secret for site protection and at the request of the land owner, but the authors describe it as a small quarry within a sheep field.
Source: LiveScience.
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