Brazilian scientists identify new species of prehistoric fish

Researchers from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), in partnership with the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), have discovered the fossil of a new species of prehistoric fish on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The discovery was published on Monday (Aug. 11) in the scientific journal Nature.

The articulated specimen, named Antarctichthys longipectoralis, lived between 145 and 66 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period.

The fossil is the best-preserved ever discovered in the region. It was found in the Snow Hill Island Formation in Antarctica during the Paleoantar Project expedition, conducted in the Southern Hemisphere summer of 2018–2019, an initiative that brought together Brazilian researchers from various specialties and institutions.

Reconstruction

The research process lasted five years, starting with the fossil’s arrival in Brazil and culminating in its three-dimensional reconstruction.

The reconstruction of Antarctichthys was carried out using microtomography, a technique similar to medical tomography that produces internal images of objects with X-rays without damaging the fossil.

In this process, high-resolution projections of the object are generated and digitally integrated, enabling the reconstruction of tomograms – high-resolution ‘slices’ of the object.

In total, more than 2,000 tomograms of the fossil were generated, serving as the basis for modeling the specimen as it appeared during the Cretaceous period.

Researchers estimate the fish measured between 8 and 10 centimeters. Antarctichthys had a long head, a slender body, and short neural spines.

Climate

Biologist Valéria Gallo, a professor in the Department of Zoology at UERJ, explains that although Antarctica is still little explored by paleontologists, it holds key clues about the evolution of life in the Southern Hemisphere and the historical connections that shaped the region’s current biodiversity.

“The Antarctic continent, now an icy expanse, was once rich in forests and marine life. Discoveries like this revolutionize our understanding of how ancient ecosystems responded to environmental change – a knowledge that is increasingly relevant in times of accelerated climate change,” Gallo stated.

“The presence of this fossil indicates that the Antarctic Peninsula likely had a warmer climate and greater biodiversity during the Cretaceous,” she added.

According to UERJ, the study reinforces the importance of analyzing flora and fauna fossils, which provide a reference for predicting how organisms may respond to current global warming and contribute to the development of conservation strategies.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}