Weirdest fossil ever #fossil #paleontology
What could this 20 million year old fossil be telling us?
I’ve seen my share of photoshopped fossil images, and at first, I thought this was another. But, no. This is real.
One of the most unusual fossils ever to be found are strange tall structures recovered across Nebraska, primarily in the state’s northwestern badlands and in neighboring parts of Wyoming. Known locally as Devil’s Corkscrews… dozens of examples of the giant spiral structures [with] reporting on them in 1892…
Smithsonian
Are these fossils fresh water sponges? A plant’s root structure? Burrows?
Arguments ensued, and more evidences accrued. For many years, the mystery lay fallow.
Enter Larry Martin, an expert on fossil mammals at the University of Kansas. In the early 1970s, Martin and his student Deb Bennett studied many of the Devil’s Corkscrews in the field and in the lab. Their research on Daimonelix, published in 1977, painted a completely new picture of these strange spiral structures and their origin.
Smithsonian
Ancient beavers! The spiral descent seems to have controlled humidity for the burrows and offspring below, and also encouraged plant roots. “Gradually, the root-lined walls became mineralized and eventually the entire burrow was filled in with silicified roots.” Not exactly news to researchers in the field, but news to me. I never would have guessed.
