100-million-year-old ichthyosaur's last meal found; bite marks implicate giant Kronosaurus

Representative Image (Canva) According to a study published in the journal Gondwana Research, supported by findings from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), neutron and synchrotron scans of a 100-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil from Queensland have uncovered the marine reptile's final meal, and clues to its violent end. Researchers found the remains of fish, cephalopods and part of a pterosaur preserved inside its stomach, while crushing bite marks suggest it was probably scavenged or attacked by the giant marine predator Kronosaurus queenslandicus. The fossil offers a rare glimpse into the complex food web of Australia's ancient inland sea.A remarkably preserved fossil from northwestern Queensland has allowed scientists to reconstruct one of the most dramatic prehistoric stories ever captured in stone. By combining advanced neutron imaging with high-resolution synchrotron X-ray scans, researchers were able to examine the fossil without damaging it, revealing both what the ancient predator had eaten and what likely happened to it shortly afterwards.The fossil belongs to a large ichthyosaur, a dolphin-shaped marine reptile that lived during the Ea...