New plant and animal fossils uncovered during roadworks
Never before seen plant and animal species are among fossils found during South Africa’s latest discovery.The fossils were discovered during controlled rock-cutting explosions for the upgrading of a portion of the N2 between Grahamstown and Peddie in the Eastern Cape two weeks ago.Video posted to YouTube by Meropa CommunicationsThe South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) had been working with Albany Museum paleontologist Dr Robert Gess to maintain the area’s paleontological heritage.SANRAL environmental manager Mpati Mokoa said the discovery was significant as “many species have not yet been documented by paleontologists”.“The fossilised remains are of life in a marine coastline environment when South Africa was part of the supercontinent Gondwana nearly 360 million years ago and when what is now the Eastern Cape was situated at high latitude within 15 degrees of the South Pole‚” she said.The fossils are being held at Grahamstown’s Albany Museum where Gess and his assistant Christopher Harris must still examine tons more of rock excavated from the same site...
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