A Trove Of Exceptional Fossils In NSW Australia
Buried in Australia's so-called dead heart, a trove of exceptional fossils, including those of trapdoor spiders, giant cicadas, tiny fish and a feather from an ancient bird, reveal a unique snapshot of a time when rainforests carpeted the now mostly-arid continent.
Scientists found thousands of preserved plants, spiders and insects dating to the Miocene Epoch.
Scientists found thousands of preserved plants, spiders and insects dating to the Miocene Epoch.
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00:00 It's definitely a new species of plant. I don't think we've found this one before.
00:04 Australia's lush rainforests vanished millions of years ago, but scientists recently found
00:09 rare evidence of the continent's wetter past in thousands of exceptional fossils, including
00:15 trapdoor spiders, giant cicadas, tiny fish, and a feather from an ancient bird.
00:21 Mate, this is 10 kilos.
00:23 Good work.
00:25 I need both hands to hold it.
00:29 Paleontologists discovered the fossil treasure trove in New South Wales, in a region so dry
00:35 that more than 100 years ago, British geologist John Walter Gregory called it the "dead
00:40 heart" of Australia.
00:42 The site's location on private land was kept secret to protect it from illegal fossil
00:46 collectors.
00:47 Meanwhile, scientists worked to excavate plants and soft-bodied animals that were estimated
00:52 to be between 11 million and 16 million years old.
00:57 What the researchers found was unique in the Australian fossil record for the Miocene
01:00 epoch, because fossils of small and delicate creatures such as spiders and insects are
01:06 exceedingly rare.
01:08 By examining the well-preserved fossils with scanning electron microscopy, the study authors
01:12 could image details as fine as fungal spores and grains of pollen.
01:18 Some of the fossils included animals' last meals, like fish, larvae, and a partially
01:23 digested dragonfly wing preserved inside fish's bellies.
01:27 There was even a feather from a bird that was about the size of a modern sparrow.
01:32 This is the missing part of the vertebra, and that's the missing part of the stem.
01:36 This rich collection of fossils in one spot offers a unique snapshot of ancient Australian
01:41 biodiversity, and work on the fossil site is just beginning.
01:45 [music]