2,000 fossils reveal life in Australia’s prehistoric rainforest in Sinhala

#australia #rainforests
Paleontologists have uncovered a treasure trove of about 2,000 remarkably well-preserved fossils from an ancient Australian rainforest that reveals an ecosystem in the midst of a changing climate.

Researchers excavated Jurassic fossils in the hills and flats of south-eastern Australia in 2017 when they received an important tip: A local farmer told them he had discovered fossils on his own land nearby.

The farmer had cleared and stacked a huge pile of heavy stones from his field. Although it is common for Australians to find fossilized leaves – and there were plenty of them in the farmer’s rocks – when the researchers turned the stones, they also found a number of rare insects.

In the three years since, the farmer’s field, now known as McGrath’s Flat, provided detailed fossils of ancient spiders, cicadas, wasps, flies, fish, flowers, and even a bird feather.

Hundreds of these prehistoric species were previously unknown to science, and together they paint the first clear picture of life in the rainforests that once covered Australia. Today, there are only remnants of these lush forests along the eastern shores of the continent.