In the 19th century in Dorset, England, was found a fossil fragment, which at the time put scientists in a deadlock. However, a recent re-analysis was able to finally solve his mystery.
This fragment contains the remains of two extinct creatures: Clarkeiteuthis montefiorei – camaroptera ancient mollusk, and Dorsetichthys bechei – fish, like a modern herring. Both species lived on Earth during the Jurassic period. And both miraculously managed to survive inside extremely rare fossil specimen that has forever captured the moment of their fight.
Inside the artifact can be seen as an ancient mollusk grabs its prey with tentacles with hooks and crushes her head.
Left – shellfish, grasping tentacles of the ancient fish
It is the oldest preserved example of Diplopoda (so-called this kind camaroptera creatures). It surpasses the previous age record for 10 million years. And the fragment of sedimentary rocks in which it is located, has an age 190-199 million years. As both creatures hit him and why they didn’t eat other animals – remains a complete mystery.
The biologists have put forward two versions: either the ancient mollusk was killed in a battle with a fish that was too serious enemy, or died trying to hide its prey from rivals on the seabed. In any case, locking the two animals sank to the bottom, sedimentary rock which has preserved them for hundreds of millions of years.
Source — Gizmodo