US EditionAncient Marine Predators More Dominant Than Any Alive Today
McGill researchers found Cretaceous marine reptiles in Colombia’s Paja Formation reached a seventh trophic level, surpassing modern apex predators like killer whales and great white sharks.
- Around 130 million years ago, McGill University researchers reconstructed the Paja Formation food web in central Colombia, revealing marine reptiles over 10 metres at a seventh trophic level with more power than modern species, in a study published by the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
- Warmer Mesozoic climates and rising sea levels fueled a surge in marine biodiversity that enabled more complex food webs, as the research team compiled fossils and built ecological networks using body sizes and feeding traits.
- Today, marine trophic chains typically cap at six levels, with killer whales and great white sharks at the top, while the Paja ecosystem hosted plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and abundant invertebrates.
- Validation against living Caribbean networks showed the research team compared the ancient network with a modern Caribbean ecosystem model and said it enables future comparative studies across regions and time.
- Hans Larsson said `These findings illuminate how marine ecosystems developed through intense trophic competition and shaped the diversity we see today`, and the study by Dirley Cortés and Hans Larsson was supported by McGill-STRI NEO and NSERC.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Apex predators in prehistoric Colombian oceans would have snacked on killer whales today
Predators at the top of a marine food chain 130 million years ago ruled with more power than any modern species, McGill research into a marine ecosystem from the Cretaceous period revealed.
Giant Marine Predators Once Hunted in Freshwater Rivers, New Study Suggests
Large prehistoric marine reptiles known as mosasaurs dominated the oceans until their extinction 66 million years ago. Now, according to new chemical evidence, some mosasaurs also lived in freshwater rivers near the end of the Cretaceous period, indicating their ability to adapt as environments changed before the mass extinction. A recent study published in Springer Nature reports that researchers from Uppsala University analyzed the chemical ma…
Science Daily
ecotopical.comAncient oceans were ruled by super predators unlike anything today
Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with life, from giant reptiles to rich invertebrate communities. This extreme complexity reveals how intense competition helped drive the evolution of mode…
Scientists Discover Ancient “Level 7” Super-Predator That Would Have Snacked on Killer Whales Today
Researchers discovered a prehistoric ecosystem filled with giant marine reptiles, revealing an unparalleled level of food web complexity. Predators that dominated the oceans 130 million years ago were even more powerful than any species living today, according to new research from McGill Universi
Apex predators in prehistoric Colombian oceans would have snacked on killer whales today: McGill study
Researchers uncovered a prehistoric ecosystem teeming with giant marine reptiles, uncovering unmatched food web complexity Predators at the top of a marine food chain 130 million years ago ruled with more power than any modern species, McGill research into a marine ecosystem from the Cretaceous period revealed. The study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, reconstructs the ecosystem of Colombia’s Paja Formation, and fin…
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