A dentist discovered a human mandible embedded in the travertine floor of his parents' European home, sparking international intrigue and scientific investigation. The find, dating back millions of years, prompted discussions on the intersection of past and present, with experts weighing in on its significance. This unexpected discovery underscored the notion that history is often concealed beneath our everyday surroundings, waiting to be unearthed and studied.
Pabulite Kill Leftover Evidence and the Food Chain
The focus on the food chain is not just because the predator got preyed upon, but also because of another potential evolutionary facet.
All cephalopods, in general, have tough rostra or beaks that are hard, pointed and difficult to digest. Fossils from the same period of marine crocodiles and predatory fish, and their stomachs, point to the fact that they were not discerning eaters, gobbling everything down, even the hard beaks.
This has been gauged from the remains of a fossilized shark (another
Hybodus hauffianus ), from the early Jurassic, also found in Germany. It had a stomach full of undigested belemnite beaks, which likely caused its premature and untimely death.