Experts stunned to see what's inside 15 million year old fish fossil

Found with a belly full of perfectly preserved food, 15-million-year-old fish fossil stuns scientists.

Discovered at the McGraths Flat fossil site in New South Wales, Australia, the new fossil is of a freshwater herring species belonging to the order Osmerifiromes. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

Although they are poorly represented in the fossil record , species in the order Osmerifiromes in Australia today are an important part of freshwater biodiversity. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

“The discovery of a 15 million-year-old freshwater fish fossil gives us an unprecedented opportunity to understand the ancient ecosystems of Australia,” said lead author Dr Matthew McCurry. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

“This study also helps understand the evolution of fish species here, especially the Osmeriformes order during the Miocene, 11-15 million years ago.” Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

The fish fossils are incredibly well preserved, thanks in part to the iron oxide-hydroxide mineral goethite. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

The team even focused on examining the stomachs of four specimens they found. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

As a result, they found that the abdomens of the fish fossils contained large numbers of black fly larvae, suggesting that they were an important part of the diet of freshwater herrings of the Osmerifiromes order in Australia. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

In one specimen, a beetle can be seen in the middle of the jaw of a freshwater herring of the order Osmerifiromes, while other stomachs contain insect wings of an unidentified species. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

The fossil also revealed the color of the freshwater herring of the Osmerifiromes order when it was alive. Spots called melanophores, which contain the pigment melanin, were found along the fish's body, giving it a yellow or orange color. Photo: @Matthew McCurry.

Dear Readers, please watch the video: 5 Intact Dinosaur Fossils Like Real. Video source: @Strange Stories of Vietnam and the World .

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