(ORDO NEWS) — The cyclone that hit New Zealand exposed the fossils of giant marine reptiles that lived on Earth about 80 million years ago. The remains were discovered in the Maungataniwha forest after the powerful impact of Cyclone Gabriel, which raged here in February. This is reported by Live Science.
According to paleontologists, the two discovered vertebrae may belong to an elasmosaurus, a giant long-necked marine reptile, the length of which can reach 14 meters.
The team also discovered another fossilized vertebra that may have belonged to a mosasaur, a huge marine reptile that was the top oceanic predator during the age of dinosaurs. Fossils of these reptiles have been found in New Zealand before, but such finds are not something common.
Gabriel is a strong tropical cyclone that hit the North Island of New Zealand between February 12 and 16. It was the deadliest cyclone to hit the country since 1968, killing 11 people.
The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said that in the mountainous area where the fossils were found, streams and rivers turned into “torturous torrents”, with millions of cubic meters of rainwater lifting boulders “the size of shopping carts”.
“It was like a giant walking down a stream bed, kicking rocks and boulders like they were pebbles and overturning everything in its path,” said Pete Shaw, manager of the Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust.
In the Maungataniwha forest there are many fossils of creatures from the Cretaceous period (from 145 to 66 million years ago). Scientists found the first dinosaur here in 1975.
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