This detailed prepared specimen of a fossil Rochen bears the unusual nickname “Jochen”. It is a previously unknown species that Julia Türtscher from the University of Vienna and her team now on the scientific name Apolithabatis have baptized.
“Seiama” is derived from the Greek word “seism”, which means “shaken or wobble”. Because when Jochen the Roche was uncovered from a quarry in the Bavarian town of Painten, he had to get through a decent portion of heroes. The 150 million year old Fossil was in such hard layers of rock that conventional excavation with tools was not possible. The only alternative: a stone blast at a depth of six meters.
However, Jochen survived this explosive excavation – very well even: “The 1.20 meter long fossil is exceptionally well preserved. This is important because such cartilage fishing mostly only poorly preserved skeletons, teeth or tiny skin chicken are preserved, ”explains Raimund Albersdörfer, co -founder of the Dinosaur Museum Altmühltal, in which the Rochen is now exhibited. Jochen, on the other hand, even the tail and both back fins are preserved. “Only such perfectly preserved copies enable researchers to draw conclusions about the living conditions of the Rochen at the time.”
At the same time, the fossil also gives new insights into the evolution of Batomorphii, a group of cartilage fish, which also includes modern rays. “This find extends our understanding of the early stages of the development of the rays and their evolutionary branches,” emphasizes Albersdörfer.