According to the recent reports, researchers of Virginia University have found around 210 million years old fossil portraying exactly like: Phytosaur, a dominant Triassic Period Aquatic Predator’s tooth rooted in the thigh of its dry land counterpart, Rauisuchid.
Michelle Stocker, (a vertebrate paleontologist with the Virginia Tech’s Department of Geosciences) stated that, “In the ancient times, Phytosaurs were believed to be the prevailing aquatic predators having the same big size similar to contemporary crocodiles. Though, we were able to give the first proof they attacked on both aquatic and huge terrestrials prey.”
On the other hand, the Rauisuchids were not slump. It has the ability to stand 4 feet high at the hip and believed to be 25 feet long. The tooth of the Phytosaur was discovered, embedded in the 2 inches inside rauisuchid bone, however was cured. The researcher thought that, the rauisuchid actually survived after the attack. They further told that such cases are quite rare.
The researchers reproduce the bone and tooth, by using CT scans and 3D printer. According to the evidences, there were signs of multiple attacks and the rooted tooth was still present in thighs. Scientists also re-analyzed that, what the Triassic Period food chain may have looked like.
Sterling Nesbitt says that, from a few shallow marks and a tooth in a bone, 210mn years ago, we think it is amazing that we were able to recreate a part of an ancient food web. He says that, these careful observations can reveal a lot of important discoveries which we can’t even think about.
The dichotomy among the earthly and aquatic ecosystems should be re-analyzed, said by Stocker. Where it was previously assumed that, these two were separated from each other, now we found that, these two may have been crossed over.
