Recently, a prehistoric trilobite named Bohemolichas incola, dating back to 465 million years ago, surprised scientists by revealing that its digestive tract still retains traces of its last meal.
The significant discovery, highlighted in the journal Nature, fills a crucial gap in our understanding of ecology of trilobites and their role in ecosystems during the Paleozoic period.
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The fossil was originally discovered in 1908 by Karel Holub and remained housed in the Rokycany Museum in the Czech Republic.
(Image: reproduction/internet)
The study was led by Petr Kraft of Charles University in Prague, who had a personal connection to the fossil due to his relationship with his grandfather.
In the early years of the 21st century, paleontologists identified shell fragments visible in the trilobite's body, suggesting the possible presence of preserved contents in its digestive tract.
However, at that time, there were no means available to examine these fragments without compromising the integrity of the rare fossil.
(Image: reproduction/internet)
Recently, advanced synchrotron tomography methods in France have allowed scientists to capture images of high resolution of the shell fragments present in the trilobite's intestine, without causing any damage to the specimen.
This made the trilobite one of the first Czech fossils to be subjected to analysis at the European Synchrotron (ESRF) in Grenoble, France.
The analysis process included the acquisition of cross-sectional images, similar to computed tomography scans. hospital structures, followed by manual segmentation of the fossil structures, resulting in the creation of a 3D model informative.
In this sense, the analyzes indicated that the Bohemolichasincola it was an opportunistic scavenger that fed on both living and dead animals, including those with hard shells.
Its digestive tract contained calcareous shells of marine invertebrates, such as ostracods, bivalves and echinoderms, making it possible to identify some species of these animals.
Furthermore, the thin-walled calcareous shells were not completely dissolved in the digestive tract, suggesting that the intestinal environment trilobita was probably nearly neutral or slightly alkaline, possibly an ancestral trait shared by arthropods, including the trilobites.
After his death, the Bohemolichas incola had an ironic fate. Although he was a scavenger throughout his life, he was targeted by other small scavengers after his death.
However, these parasites decided to spare the arthropod's digestive tract, possibly realizing that it still contained active enzymes.
As a result, these parasites ended up trapped in a solid structure that quickly formed around the trilobite's body in a shallow, muddy region of the ocean.
(Image: reproduction/internet)
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