Austria discovered: how sharks survived the dino dying!

Austria discovered: how sharks survived the dino dying!

Chicxulub, Mexiko - The chicxulub seaside stroke, which took place 66 million years ago, led to one of the greatest mass extinction in the history of the earth and ended the era of dinosaurs. According to estimates, around 75 percent of all kinds died, which fundamentally changed the flora and fauna of the earth. The impact crater, the diameter of which is around 200 kilometers, is located under the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. This significant impact structure was first discovered in 1980 by Luis Alvarez and his team, which identified the asteroid impact as the cause of the mass extinction. Sediment samples showed a high concentration of iridium, a metal that often occurs in asteroids and at the same time rarely found on earth.

New research that is carried out under the direction of Iris Feichtinger at the Natural History Museum in Vienna have revealed important findings about the marine remains from the time of mass extinction. In rehearsals from Waidach and Gams, over 9,000 teeth and scales of sharks and bone fishing were discovered. These discoveries underline the importance of Austria as a hotspot of hai research, in particular through the identification of new genres from the samples.

survival strategies of the sharks

The investigation shows that in contrast to bone fishing, sharks better dealt with the devastating effects of the asteroidal impact. While bone fish produced many sensitive eggs, sharks had less but better developed offspring. These reproductive strategies, paired with the favorable living conditions, which quickly stabilized after the impact, made it possible to occupy new ecological niches that were previously dominated by bone fishing.

The impact led to a dramatic climate change, which was characterized by large forest fires and a so -called "impact winter". This increased temperature drop varied depending on the geographical width. While tropical forests were only slightly affected, plants in medium wide width suffered greater damage caused by cold and droughts. In the polar regions there were drastic temperature waste of up to 20 ° C, which massively impaired living conditions.

long-term consequences of chicxulub impact

In addition to the direct ecological destruction, such as the massive fish death due to the devastated plankton population, the effects of chicxulub impact were felt globally. Rainfall made of evaporated materials led to acidic rain that bumped out nutrients from the ground and inhibited plant growth. These devastating circumstances led to the recovery of ecosystems for millennia and the age of the reptiles finally ended.

The rapid adaptability of the sharks made it possible for these seals to survive and develop further despite the extreme conditions. A new hairy, the "Incognitorapax Fernsebneri", was identified in the rehearsals and its teeth were found both before and after the drastic event. This discovery opens up new perspectives on the evolution of this fascinating marine animal and their survival in a fundamentally changing world.

This means that the chicxulub crater not only remains a geological miracle, but also a key to decoding the complex interactions between disasters and evolutionary changes in the history of the earth. The extensive studies and the new finds from Austria offer valuable insights into these epoch -making events of the past.