Jakarta, domclub Indonesia
—
Scientists
finding fossils
An ancient, hornless rhinoceros in the Arctic region.These findings change their understanding of rhino evolution and the history of ancient land bridges in the region.
The fossil was found on Devon Island, Nuvanut region, Canada, in a 23 kilometer wide impact crater that was formed by an asteroid impact about 23 million years ago.Scientists call these fossils as
Epiatheracerium itjilik
, with the word itjilik meaning ‘frost’ in Inuktitut.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
This discovery was written by a team of researchers from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) and published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution on Tuesday (28/10).
“What’s extraordinary about this Arctic rhinoceros is that the condition of the fossil is very perfect,” said Marisa Gilbert, a CMN paleobiologist and one of the authors of the study, as reported
LiveScience
, Friday (31/10).
“They are preserved in three dimensions and only a small part has been replaced by minerals. About 75 percent of the skeleton has been found, which is an extraordinary level of completeness for a fossil,” he continued.
The discovery of plant remains around the location shows that the Arctic region at that time was much warmer than it is now.About 23 million years ago, Devon Island was covered in temperate forest that provided habitat for a number of animals, including the Arctic rhinoceros and a seal-like species called
Puijila darwini
.
E. itjilik
similar in size to the modern Indian rhinoceros (
Rhinoceros unicornis
), but has no horns.This fossil shows the animal died when it was young due to unknown causes.
New clues to evolution
Analysis of the teeth, lower jaw and skull shows that this species is a close relative of the rhinoceros that lived in Europe more than 23 million years ago.Researchers analyzed its genetic relationships with 57 groups of ancient and modern rhinos.
According to Danielle Fraser, CMN’s head of paleobiology and lead author of the study, this finding provides evidence that ancient rhinos once migrated from Europe to North America via the North Atlantic Land Bridge, an ancient land route that once connected Greenland with Europe.
“This discovery shows that the land bridge existed at least until the beginning of the Miocene era,” said Fraser.
“This means that the North Atlantic region played a much more important role in the evolution of rhinos than we previously thought,” he said.
The researchers also believe this finding challenges the old theory that the North Atlantic Land Bridge sank about 56 million years ago.Instead, the new research suggests the bridge may have existed as late as 2.7 million years ago, and allowed various species, including rhinos, to cross from Europe to North America.
With almost perfect fossil conditions and the northernmost discovery location ever recorded, E.itjilik has now been named the northernmost rhino in history.This discovery also opens a new chapter in scientists’ understanding of how ancient animals adapted and evolved on Earth millions of years ago.
(dmi/dmi)
Read More: Erika Carlina Announces Birth of First Boy
Read More: Riau Governor Abdul Wahid Corruption Suspect Owns 2 Japanese SUVs
