The remains of the carcasses of ancient animals buried in the ground provide very unique information about them. Scientists call these remains fossils. The discovery and study have given a lot of information about dinosaurs, which are extinct now. Recently, in a shocking incident, scientists have found a prehistoric sea cow’s fossil that was hunted by two predators. After studying the fossil, they found that both an ancient crocodile and a tiger shark had attacked a sea cow one after the other. The fossil remains of the sea cow show that it was first killed by a crocodile and then eaten by a tiger shark. The discovery was made in Venezuela, when a local farmer informed authorities about the presence of some strange rocks in his fields. The fossils were found to be well preserved as they were buried in fine sediment.
The sea cow skeleton bears distinctive tooth marks and is a rare example of a single animal being attacked by two predators during the early to middle Miocene epoch (23 million to 11.6 million years ago).
This study was recently published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, in which deep teeth marks on the front part of the sea cow’s mouth indicate that the crocodile first grabbed its face and tried to suffocate it. More cuts on the cow show that the crocodile dragged its prey and put it to death. The cow’s skeleton had several bite marks as well as a tiger shark’s tooth. These sharks are known to scavenge for food and are often called the “dustbins of the sea.”
Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra, a study co-author and a professor of paleobiology and the director of the Palaeontological Institute & Museum at the University of Zurich, said in a statement that the first fossils unearthed were parts of skulls.
According to reports, Marcelo said, “Initially, we were unfamiliar with the site’s geology, and the first fossils we unearthed were parts of skulls. It took us some time to determine what they were — sea cow skulls, which are quite peculiar in appearance.”
The fossil skeleton included part of the sea cow’s skull and 18 vertebrae. It was discovered in outcrops of the Early to Middle Miocene Agua Clara Formation near the city of Coro.
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