Plant And Animal Fossils Found in England; Indicates Area To Be A Dense Forest Or A Marsh
England looks nothing like what it is today compared to what it was millions of years ago. Particularly in the South Yorkshire region where it used to have dense forests, marshes, and swamps.
In simpler description, the landscape was pretty much like the modern-day Amazon delta. Therefore, the area has been inhabited by different types of creatures, each having their unique traits. Sharks were among of the region's happy residents.
In a recent document in the Geological Journal, paleontologist Dean Lomax, along with the University of Manchester in the UK and fellow researchers, explain that they came across several fossilized remains while exploring an old and decrepit mine in Doncaster,.
These fossils were left behind by plants and animals that have lived in the region about 310 million years ago, and many were found to belong to species not yet documented by the scientific community, the specialist addedl.
The fossilized plant and animal remains were pulled from rocks that formed at the core of local coal and shale deposits, and stand as proof that, what seems to be an eternity ago, present-day South Yorkshire accommodated for a lush system of natural ecosystems.
As detailed in the Geological Journal, a fossilized shark egg case was among the fossils that researcher Dean Lomax and colleagues recovered from the decrepit mine in the proximity of the town of Doncaster. The case, pictured next to this article, indicates that sharks once inhabited the region.
What's interesting is that, unlike the eggs laid by other creatures, those belonging to sharks have a fairly soft case. Consequently, they have high chances to degrade and perish rather than become fossilized, should they fail to hatch, the Alpha Galileo Foundation explains.
The history enthusiasts plan to continue their work, and hope to soon find other fossils. More precisely, they expect that it is only a matter of time until they come across the remains of an actual shark that inhabited this part of England millions of years ago.
