Strangest Fossils Ever Found!

Subscribe to Epic Wildlife http://goo.gl/6rzs5u Let's Connect -- http://www.epicadamwildlife.com/ --   / epicadamwildlife   --   / epicwildlife   -- http://gplus.to/epicwildlife Strangest Fossils Ever Found! From giant snakes and dinosaurs … to ancient fungi and bacteria ... Here are 14 of the strangest fossils ever found! #14 Monster Fossil Find If you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, you’re familiar with Cthulhu (Kh’lul-hlool). It’s a fictional cosmic beast that’s often depicted in an octopus or dragon-like form. A fossil unearthed in the West Midlands of England in 2019 evoked such a monstrous image that researchers named it after Lovecraft’s creation. The animal lived about 430 million years ago, and is described as an ancient sea cucumber. Its descendents include sea urchins which still inhabit the oceans today. Once a digital reconstruction revealed that the critter had tentacles used for capturing prey, the comparison to Cthulhu was cemented. Interestingly, the fictional monster is usually portrayed as an enormous creature. But the real-life beast was no more than 3 centimeters wide (1.2 inches)! #13 Head First Mammoth Cave National Park is found in Kentucky, and it’s a long way from the nearest ocean. But that’s where the fossilized remains of sharks were discovered and reported in 2020. Maybe it’s not so surprising, since the specimens have been dated at some 330 million years old. And back then, the entire region was covered by water. The remains of 15 to 20 shark species have been located deep within the cave system. But the standout was the fossil of a shark’s head that was partially protruding from a wall. Experts said it was probably comparable in size to a modern great white shark at some 20 feet long (6 m). While the shark’s noggin is visible, paleontologists still don’t know how much of the beast is still encased within the rock. #12 First Salamander in Amber These amphibians are unlikely to be found in the Caribbean Islands these days. But it was a different story some 20 to 30 million years ago. An extinct species of salamander was discovered in Early Miocene amber in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Experts noted that the animal is a close relative of salamanders found in the modern day Appalachians. And it is also noted that the tree in which the amber was discovered is a closer relation to the trees of East Africa than those of the Caribbean. So this juvenile specimen might offer some clues as to how life on the islands evolved. Current theories suggest that salamanders could have reached the islands by attaching themselves to floating logs and various types of vegetation. What do you think? #11 The Amazing Spider-Fossil In 2011, the fossil of an ancient female arachnid was located in the forests of northern China. It was so perfectly preserved that scientists easily categorized the arachnid as a Golden Silk Orb Weaver. They belong to a genus of spiders that can have leg spans exceeding 5 inches (13 cm), and still exist today. At more than 160 million years old, this prehistoric specimen measured about 2.2 inches (57 mm) long. Paleontologists say that makes it the largest fossilized spider yet described. #10 Tortotubus (tore-toe-too-bus) Fungi (fun-jie) occupies its own kingdom separate from animals and plants, but they still leave behind fossils. And some of them are incredibly ancient. Tortotubus was a terrestrial fungus whose tiny fossils have been unearthed in Sweden and Scotland. In 2016 researchers confirmed that they were at least 440 million years old! That doesn’t necessarily make them the first organism to exist on land. But the fungi could still represent the oldest fossils of a land-dwelling organism known to date! The first such life forms are thought to have emerged from the oceans around 500 million years ago. #9 The Original Turtle ‘Odontochelys semitestacea’ (oh-DON-tih-kay-lees_semi-ses-TAY-shee-uh) translates as ‘toothed turtle with a half-shell’. And that describes what experts believe to be the oldest turtle on record, dating back some 220 million years. It was also the most primitive, since it didn’t have a fully formed solid carapace like the modern day specimens. Instead it had broadened ribs that are similar to the embryos of modern turtles that haven’t yet developed the hardened plates of a carapace. The prehistoric turtle had the flat shell called a plastron (PLAS-truhn) that armored its underside. Another difference from present day turtles is the presence of teeth in their upper and lower jaws. Today’s turtles have a horned beak, but no teeth. Fossils of the creature were discovered in China and described in 2008.