Certain discoveries can be hard to stomach, literally.
A new addition to Denmark’s natural history has been unveiled – a 66 million-year-old vomit fossil.
The fossil, named Danekrædk-1295, was discovered at East Denmark’s Stevns Klint by local fossil hunter Peter Bennicke. “DANEKRæ” is a rare natural treasure of Denmark that must be evaluated by the National Danecre Committee of the Denmark Natural History Museum, according to the University of Copenhagen and the National Museum of History Museum.
Bennicke stumbled upon the fossil after noticing a peculiar collection of a sea lily fragment embedded in chalk. According to Jespermilà n, a curator at Geomuseum FaxE, he brought it to Geomuseum Faxe in November. After cleaning and analysis by John Jagut, a Dutch sea lion expert, the museum confirmed that it contained remains of at least two types of sea lions.
Regurgitalites, or fossilized vomit, are rare but valuable for scientists studying ancient ecosystems to understand what predators ate and how food chains operated in the past.
Milan explained that sea lions were likely consumed by fish and then later regurgitated from parts that could not be digested. “It’s a really unusual discovery. Sea lions are not particularly nutritious because they are mainly composed of calcareous plates held together by very small soft parts,” Milan said at the øSTSJællands Museum. Masu News release.
Visitors can view this unique relic of dietary habits at the Geo Museum Fax.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
