Scientists in Brazil are busy collecting fossils discovered in recent heavy flooding before they are destroyed.
In May, record floods washed away the ground in parts of southern Brazil, revealing the remains of at least 35 ancient creatures. Among the fossils was a 233-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton, possibly the oldest ever discovered, belonging to the two-legged predator Gnathovorax cabreirai.
But the excitement of such finds has been tempered by the growing urgency to recover the fossils before they are lost. Fossils can decompose in water, which is abundant in southern Brazil. Four of the 29 fossil sites are still flooded, while others have been battered by summer rains, Nature defeated.
The smallest bones are the most worrisome, because they are the most likely to crumble in water or be washed away by rain. And such bones, whether from creatures large or small, are an important record of prehistoric life. For example, ear bones, which can be only a fraction of an inch in size, reveal much about the intelligence of ancient creatures.
Speaking with NatureLeonardo Kerber of the Federal University of Santa Maria said: “If there are no paleontologists to collect material as soon as it becomes visible, we risk losing some of it forever.”
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