One of the most tragic fossils we've ever heard of #science #paleontology

These ancient mummies are older than the dinosaurs

Produced by Complexly for PBS Digital Studios

[FatherManus]

Imagine dying and someone finding your fossil 250 million years later and shedding a tear over you.

[MossyMozart]

Even under the stress, the group stayed together. That is even more moving.

[jacquelinebraze]

The story I cried over:
A herd of Wooly Rhinoceros' that took shelter up under a bluff jutting out. They were being buried alive by ash blown over them from volcanic explosion far West of them on the Cascades. Most were females that had just given birth. They had pushed the infants up under their bodies trying to protect them.
The postures of the group were heartbreaking.

[skrtskrt]

this makes me feel the same way as finding ancient sapien artefacts. it's a deep sense of sadness, but connection to someone or something I never knew.

[jamesw]

I do love when fossils tell a story though, even if it is a sad one

[wynnschaible]

Talk about tragic fossils, there was a Jurassic turtle found, osteologically complete, but crushed -- IN THE MIDDLE OF A SAUROPOD FOOTPRINT!

[sagesarrazine]

Living in Florida, every now and then you'll catch a "quick-dried" lizard on sidewalks or windowsills, but even those are usually eaten by birda or bugs within a few hours. Really goes to show how amazing finds like these really are!

[rosemiyuki]

I DID NOT SIGN A PERMISSION SLIP FOR THIS FEELS TRIP

[MithrilSludge]

Dying of thirst is probably a terrible way to go...

[zacharyhenderson]

It's amazing how our hearts can go out to people and creatures we've never met or seen, and which died before we were even born

[jbooth]

As a South African I can say that the drought ain't quite gone yet 😭

[bigpompano]

‘Forever in our hearts…and our museum collection’ is a wild sentiment😂

[normalhuman]

I think the saddest fossil is the first Ovoraptor fossil discovered.
Poor thing died protecting its babies, only to be called an egg thief millions of years later

[cantblink]

For me, the saddest fossil was the teenage Psittacosaurus that died babysitting a litter of tiny babies, that also died alongside it.
The second saddest fossil was of the giant vampire bat that died smooshed under a ground sloth's massive turd.

[ashlastname-bbjg]

Some of the worst deaths in prehistory yield the best finds for science

Thank you for your sacrifice, every organism to ever struggle

[CannibalChxrry]

Why did we lose these little babies?! They are adorable 😭😭😭

[Domzdream]

I’m still gobsmacked as to how long ago 250 million years ago is. Even 1 million years ago is crazy long. Now times that by 250. Insane right?

[savanerus]

Man, those little homies got to stay together for 250million years longer than they thought they would after they went

[Ohwoww]

Imagine the pain of slowly drying out and desiccating like your veins are rubbing together as if they were sandpaper

[OlessanYT]

"Lystrosaurus managed to survive the biggest extinction event ever-" understatement of the era, when like 90% of land animals at the start of the Triassic were Lystrosauruses 😂