(ORDO NEWS) — Paleontologists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science have discovered the remains of two new species of sturgeon that lived and died with the dinosaurs.
In total, scientists discovered four fossils. The scientists’ work was published in the Journal of Paleontology.
According to scientists, the finds are about 66 million years old. The team discovered the fossils at a site called Tanis.
It is part of the Hell Creek Formation, which covers parts of the states of Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
In ancient times, a large deep river flowed in this place, feeding the now dry Western Inland Sea, which stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.
According to scientists, 66 million years ago, all the fish and animals that inhabited this river died as a result of an asteroid impact that destroyed the dinosaurs.
Four of the fossils belong to two previously unknown sturgeon species, Acipenser praeparatorum and Acipenser amnisinferos, which are perfectly preserved.
Compared to other sturgeons, these have their own unique features – for example, an elongated snout and a different type of membranes on the lower jaw.
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