WASHINGTON: A species of bone-eating worm that was believed to have evolved in conjunction with whales has been dated back to prehistoric times when it fed on the carcasses of giant marine reptiles.
Scientists found that Osedax – popularised as the “zombie worm” – originated at least 100 million years ago, and subsisted on the bones of prehistoric reptiles such as plesiosaurs and sea turtles.
The research team at Plymouth University revealed how they found tell-tale traces of Osedax on plesiosaur fossils held at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, at the University of Cambridge.
Dr Nicholas Higgs, a research fellow in the Marine Institute, said the discovery was important for both understanding the genesis of the species and its implications for fossil records.
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