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Scientists found rare fossils in China. These show how animals survived a big disaster. The event happened 513 million years ago. It hurt the ancient ocean world. This was long before dinosaurs lived.
A new study shares new facts. It appeared in the journal Nature. The fossils were found in Hunan Province. They lived deep in the sea. Shallow water was too hot and dry. Deep water kept them safe from harm.
Most old bones do not keep soft parts. These fossils have soft skin and muscles too. Fine mud sealed them from the air. This stopped bacteria from rotting them away. Scientists found over 50,000 pieces in one spot.
Most fossils we’re familiar with are preserved hard parts of a body, such as bones, teeth and shells. In contrast, for soft-bodied fossils, organisms are rapidly preserved in low oxygen conditions, such as when buried in fine-grained aquatic sediment. As a result, the organism does not decay, allowing preservation of anatomical structures like soft tissue, muscle, the digestive system, and even the nervous system. Consequently, because of specialized conditions needed to preserve such fragile features, soft-bodied fossils are extremely rare.
The food web was busy and complex. Hunters and prey lived together safely. Life bounced back faster than we thought. Volcanoes caused the ocean to lose oxygen. Only deep-dwellers could escape the bad times.