Prehistoric sea cow's death revealed: Attacked by crocodile, devoured by shark

Fossils can conceal many interesting pieces of information, not only about a specific species or its representative but also about the sequence of certain events. Scientists have reconstructed the death sequence of one of the sea cows, a gruesome death.

Events from millions of years ago are reflected in the fossilised remains that scientists examined and discussed in the pages of the "Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology." The article describes the death sequence of the sea cow, which can be read thanks to a detailed analysis of the fossil.

Research shows that the fossil allows scenes to be read in which the sea cow fell victim to a crocodile attack, and its remains served as food for a shark. The research team, consisting of experts from Switzerland, Venezuela, and the USA, noted a particular discovery in north-western Venezuela. The story of the discovery is interesting in terms of the precision with which scientists could read it. Detailed analyses of the found fossils sufficed for this.

On the sea cow's skull, belonging to the extinct species Culebratherium, traces indicating an attack by a prehistoric crocodile were discovered. After this individual finished its meal, bite marks from a tiger shark (Galeocerdo aduncus) appeared on the victim's body.

The fascinating manifestations of this natural tragedy could be reconstructed thanks to the research of deep tooth marks on the sea cow's snout, indicating an attempt to suffocate the victim by the crocodile. This animal used a technique of violently spinning around its own axis. Such behaviour is also typical for modern crocodiles. This type of attack had positive effects for crocodiles, facilitating food acquisition.

During such attacks, the victim, held by the snout or legs with teeth, lost strength or suffocated while spinning along with the crocodile. After this spectacular but dramatic death, the remains of the sea cow were devoured by a scavenger. Details of the mentioned study are available on tandfonline.com.