A mineral lump found in the UK could change what is known about the development of gastric nodules. This stomach stone must have belonged to an animal from the Jurassic period, 150 million years ago – about 59 million years older than it was last recorded.
The size of this stomach stone, considering that it was found in mud from the late Jurassic period, indicates that it may have formed in large marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, plesiosaurs, or crocodilians. […] The stomach stones didn’t come from a dinosaur – dinosaurs lived on Earth – but still, this is a very interesting and rare find.
Nigel Larkin, paleontologist and visiting researcher in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
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history of these minerals
- It is almost impossible to identify stomach stones outside the skeleton of a specific animal, but they can be put into context with their respective historical period;
- This block was discovered by paleontologist Dr. Steve Etches MBE, Cambridge, Dorset, England;
- From the very beginning, H. suspected that its shape could be of biological origin and not the result of geological processes, as other fossil analysts believe.
“Because the ban has been broken and it’s FossilFriday, here are pictures of one of the rarest fossils in the UK, and the oldest calculus (StomachStone, Enterolith) known in the fossil record!” look:
What are these stones?
Stomach stones are naturally occurring mineral bodies found in many species, from humans to ichthyosaurs. Some rare fossil records of stones have also been recorded in Egyptian mummies. The new findings confirm that this mineral increase is not limited to terrestrial animals and can also be found in ancient marine environments.
with information from IFLScience
A team of archaeologists has found pendants in Brazil made from giant sloth bones, which date back to the last ice cap, about 25,000 years ago. Polished and carved pieces indicate that humans arrived in South America much earlier than previously thought.
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