Extraordinary Fossil Reveals Fatal Duel Between Ocean Titans 80 Million Years Ago

Extraordinary Fossil Reveals Fatal Duel Between Ocean Titans 80 Million Years Ago

A fossil discovery from Alabama reveals a rare and dramatic glimpse into the dangers of Cretaceous oceans, where even top predators were vulnerable. The oceans covering North America during the Cretaceous period were filled with life. Massive fish and large marine reptiles dominated the Western Interior Seaway. A newly described fossil now offers rare evidence [...]

Scientists Discover a Rare Fossil With a Tooth From Another Predator Locked Inside for Millions of Years

A fossil found in Alabama captures a sudden, violent encounter between two massive marine predators. A broken tooth, still lodged in bone after 80 million years, reveals a strike that likely killed instantly. The fossil belongs to a Polycotylus, a long-necked marine reptile that lived in the Western Interior Seaway. It had been sitting in a drawer at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago before anyone noticed what made it unusual. A Sur…