For the first time, scientists have recorded the beginning of fossilization of a puma peacefully "sleeping" at the bottom of a river: a unique photo

One spring day, researcher Ryan Peruniak was walking along a riverbank when he noticed a cougar lying on the bottom, covered in algae and sediment. The scientist filmed this rare phenomenon on video, which later went viral.

This is reported by IFLScience. According to speculation, the puma could have fallen under the ice while crossing the river in early winter. Although cougars can swim, this predator probably failed to get out of the water when it fell under the ice.

Users have speculated that the sediment that covered the animal's body could have triggered a natural process that would lead to its fossilization. However, Peruniak noted that the researchers had to pull the cougar's body out of the river and move it to a safe place to avoid human interference.

What would have happened if the body had been left in place?

Could the puma have become a fossil thousands of years later? According to the British Geological Survey, it takes at least 10,000 years for an object to become a fossil. However, the fossilization process can start much faster. For example, an experiment with a frog showed that fossilization can begin in some organs in as little as two years.

The researchers also found that one of the main factors that significantly affected the rate of amphibian fossilization was microbial mats. These biofilms acted as a sarcophagus that preserved the frogs' soft tissues while accelerating the fossilization process. However, an icy lake would likely have reduced microbial activity, making fossilization less likely.

Dr. Suzanne Maidment of the Natural History Museum in London noted that the body of water in which the puma's body was found had frozen before and would likely freeze again. Scientists believe that this could be an obstacle to the formation of detailed fossils with well-preserved soft tissue. They also emphasize that fossilization in nature is very rare and often faces numerous decomposition factors that are present in the environment.

Usually, paleontologists find materials such as skin, soft tissue, or feathers, which require an extremely specific set of burial conditions. Thus, the puma found in the river had the potential to become a fossil, but it lacks about 10,000 years to be recognized as a true fossil.

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