Remains of a mysterious fossilized creature discovered in Australia: a unique, hitherto unknown species

A unique fossil, 400 million years old, was discovered by paleontologists in a limestone deposit in Queensland, Australia. It is a new species, Palaeospondylus australis, which may be the smallest fossil found in this region.

Palaeospondylus gunni, previously known primarily from specimens from the Achannaras quarry in Scotland, has long remained a mystery to scientists. The new Australian specimen radically changes the idea of this ancient creature. This is reported by Interesting Engineering.

The peculiarity of the new find is its three-dimensional preservation, which allows for a detailed study of the skeletal structure of the ancient organism. Carol Burrow of the Queensland Museum noted the exceptionality of the discovery, comparing its scale to the miniature in contrast to the giant dinosaurs of the region.

The global context of the discovery is extremely interesting. Despite the vast distance and millions of years, the Australian and Scottish specimens share a common origin, indicating the widespread distribution of the species in the Devonian period.

The complex internal structure of the fossil, similar to a honeycomb, hints at important evolutionary features. The researchers suggest that Palaeospondylus australis could be a distant ancestor of modern sharks, retaining many larval characteristics.

Scientists emphasize the uniqueness of the find: the preserved brain box provided fundamentally new information about the neurocranial structure of the ancient creature. So far, scientists are cautiously classifying it as a pedomorphic stemmed jawed cetacean related to the Chondrichthyes group.

The discovery of Palaeospondylus australis has much more than local significance. It demonstrates the deep evolutionary connections between ancient marine ecosystems on different continents and expands our understanding of the early stages of vertebrate development.

The study, published in the journal National Science Review, opens a new page in paleontological science, emphasizing the importance of every fossil, even the smallest, in reconstructing the picture of life on Earth millions of years ago.

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