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Australia's most intact Cooyoo australis fossil discovered in Richmond with specimen in its belly.

The discovery of a fossil of a predator fish that existed more than 100 million years ago in north-west Queensland. The fish has its last meal in her tommy.

ABC North West Qld

Fr Abram Abdelmalek

Mar

2023

Australia's most intact Cooyoo australis fossil discovered in Richmond with specimen in its belly.

An article on the ABC North West Qld by Zara Margolis and Larissa Waterson dated 1 Mar 2023 declared the discovery of a fossil of a predator fish that existed more than 100 million years ago in north-west Queensland. The 1.6-metre specimen is one Australia's most intact fossils of the Cooyoo australis fish. "This thing has all its ribs, all its vertebrae… a complete head with large jaws, and a mouthful of sharp teeth." Kronosaurus Korner founder and chairman Rob Ievers said. "We can see what this fish had for its last meal," he added.



"When you get a close-up view of the specimen, you can see the little vertebrae, you can see a small fish head and some other remains of a fish in the area where the cooyoo's stomach would have been," Mr Ievers said.

BGG

This fish must have died quickly, buried, and fossilized before it processes its last meal. This means it did not take millions of years for this fossil to form. To the contrary it would have been few hours for this fossil to form. The turned back neck suggests that the fish encountered a strong stream of water/slug that caused it die immediately. These conditions are typical for fossils that died during Noah’s flood.

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