Fossielenkerkhof found in North Sea

others - For the Belgian coast, bones have been found of oval whales and walruses. The Flemish Institute of the Sea speaks of a 'unique fossil cemetery of long-lost mammals' and a 'most remarkable discovery'.

The vertebral vertebrates, which were between 8 and 15 meters long, are 40 million years old. The walrus remains date from the last Ice Age (116,000- 12,000 years ago). The researchers think that around the site a colony of about fifty to one hundred walruses lived. Bone fragments were also found of wild horses, primrose and steppe wisents.

Dutch fishermen have already found skeleton remains in the last twenty years, among other things, the oerwalvis in the catch line Het Scheur for the coast of Oostende. Palaeontologists at the Natural History Museum Rotterdam then went looking for more material.

Last month, the Dutch and Belgians hit hands and went twice with the Flemish researcher Simon Stevin. For further research, scientists are doing drills that need to provide more insight into the findings.\n  \n   \n    \n    \n   \n   \n   \n      \n    \n    \n   \n     Photo: VLIZ