Paleontology - news

Has been discovered a new coastal ecosystem from the Early Miocene of Qatar. 

An assembly of 172 sites with an enormous assemblage of marine species in less than 1 km2 come from the location of Al Maszhabiyae, in the Dam Formation. The authors describe, furthermore, the rests of a new genus of dugongid named Salwasirens quatarensis. This discovery sheds light on the complexity of the seagrass shallow-water ecosystems of the early Miocene eastern Tethys and the rapidity with which life forms developed in these thriving areas of ancient Earth.