World famous Pisco-Ica fossil beds in Peru under threat from Dakar Rally 2015

The Pisco-Ica desert on the southern coast of Peru is home to some of the richest fossil beds in the world, with abundant fossils of whales, dolphins, sharks and other marine life that lived during the Miocene period just lying on the surface waiting to be discovered and studied.

This is an artists view of the giant sperm whale Leviathan melvillei which was recently found in the area:

See full details of this find in the link below:

https://www.mediabistro.com/portfolios/samples_files/365313_mmZITjs0oANNAIXPkv4yv2zm9.pdf

2012 Dakar Rally

The Pisco-Ica desert was also on the route of the 2012 Dakar Rally which resulted in the wanton destruction of some of these priceless treasures. See details of the proposed 2012 route below:

The following photographs show damage done to fossils and fossil beds in the Pisco-Ica desert during the 2012 Dakar Rally:

This is what one palaeontologist said after visiting the area after the 2012 Dakar Rally:

“Getting down there was an eye opener to what is going on. I wasn't familiar with the dangers of Dakar. At least, I wasn't aware it was as serious as it is. I always figured it was the same path over and over. I had no clue the vast numbers of tracks and the fact that they are everywhere and that there are oil filters, chunks of vehicles, and other debris and trash left behind”.

2015 Dakar Rally

Peru now plans to host the 2015 Dakar Rally using a similar route, which will destroy priceless treasures and deprive a proud nation of its cultural and geological heritage, as well as denying the world of science access to some of the most spectacular fossils in the world. See details of the announcement in the link below:

http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-3982-dakar-rally-will-return-to-peru-in-2015-minister-says/

Posted: 20 February 2014.

Megalodon attack – bite marks indicate Megalodon damaged its own teeth when biting on dislodged teeth.

Examining fossil Megalodon teeth shows common types of damage associated with predation.  

Many Megalodon teeth show evidence of bite marks, which are often attributed to a Megalodon biting its own lost tooth during a ‘feeding frenzy’, but cutting into a hard object which is not fixed or held in place is difficult to do.

The bite marks on the fossils in the photographs below suggest these teeth were fixed in the sharks mouth and the ‘V’ notch in the tooth was caused when it bit into one of its own dislodged teeth which was embedded in the prey animal.

As such, these teeth represent a classic example of predator/prey interaction.

Posted: 19 February 2014.

Megalodon attack – bite marks indicate Megalodon had close packed, parallel rows of biting teeth.

Examining fossil Megalodon teeth shows common types of damage associated with predation. The photographs below show parallel rows of bite marks left in dislodged Megalodon teeth during feeding.

Many Megalodon teeth show evidence of bite marks, which are often attributed to a Megalodon biting its own lost tooth during a ‘feeding frenzy’, but cutting into a hard object which is not fixed or held in place is difficult to do.

A more likely scenario is a tooth becomes dislodged during the course of an attack and embedded in the prey animal’s bone or flesh. When the Megalodon is subsequently feeding on the prey animal, it bites its own tooth, which is held in place by the bone or flesh of the prey animal.

The parallel bite marks left on fossil Megalodon teeth suggest Megalodon had close packed, parallel rows of biting teeth.

As such, these teeth represent a classic example of predator/prey interaction.

Posted: 19 February 2014.

Megalodon attack – roots of teeth which have been bitten in half.

Examining fossil Megalodon teeth shows common types of damage associated with predation. The photographs below show the roots of a series of teeth which have been bitten in half during feeding.

Megalodon teeth which have been ‘sheared’ in half are often attributed to a Megalodon biting its own lost tooth during a ‘feeding frenzy’, but cutting into a hard object which is not fixed or held in place is difficult to do.

A more likely scenario is a tooth becomes dislodged during the course of an attack and embedded in the prey animal’s bone or flesh. When the Megalodon is subsequently feeding on the prey animal, it bites through its own tooth, which is held in place by the bone or flesh of the prey animal.

As such, these teeth represent a classic example of predator/prey interaction. 

Note: Some of these resemble ‘impact fractures’ to the tips of Megalodon teeth and in many cases it is difficult to distinguish the cause of the damage (See post “Megalodon attack – impact fractures to the tip of the tooth“ elsewhere in this Blog).

Posted: 19 February 2014.

Megalodon attack – tops of teeth which have been bitten in half.

Examining fossil Megalodon teeth shows common types of damage associated with predation. The photographs below show the tops of a series of teeth which have been bitten in half during feeding.

Megalodon teeth which have been ‘sheared’ in half are often attributed to a Megalodon biting its own lost tooth during a ‘feeding frenzy’, but cutting into a hard object which is not fixed or held in place is difficult to do.

A more likely scenario is a tooth becomes dislodged during the course of an attack and embedded in the prey animal’s bone or flesh. When the Megalodon is subsequently feeding on the prey animal, it bites through its own tooth, which is held in place by the bone or flesh of the prey animal.

As such, these teeth represent a classic example of predator/prey interaction.

Posted: 19 February 2014.