An international team of scientists from France and Switzerland has discovered one of the richest fossil beds from the Lower Ordovician period (about 470 million years ago). It is located in the Montagne-Noire region in the south of France. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution (NEE).
Paleontologists have found more than 400 fossils of diverse prehistoric fauna at the site, many of them well preserved. The finds include extremely rare soft elements of ancient molluscs.
Analysis of the new biota (the totality of organisms in a given area) showed the presence of centipedes, shrimps, and other arthropods, as well as jellyfish, corals, sponges, and various algae.
The high biodiversity in the area suggests that the area served as a refuge for species escaping high temperatures in what is now Northern France, the scientists said.
Experts emphasized that the discovery at Montagne-Noire is the beginning of a long-term research program that will include large-scale excavations and in-depth analysis of fossils.
Previously, paleontologists mistakenly opened A new species of ancient shark that lived 65 million years ago.