Fossil Sea Cow Excavation Site FD 23-75

This 3D model shows one of the hundreds of fossil sites identified at Al Maszhabiya in southwest Qatar. At this fossil site, you can see the bones from the rib cage of a 21 million-year-old fossil sea cow, which all likely belonged to the same individual sea cow. Look closely and you will see fossils from other marine life, such as ancient oysters, which were preserved alongside the sea cow bones. This fossil site belongs to the Al Maszhabiya bonebed, which is exposed throughout southwest Qatar, especially in a protected area called the Southern Reserve. As part of a collaborative project between the Smithsonian and Qatar Museums, researchers have documented several hundred bones of fossil sea cows in one especially dense area, which includes the locality where the skeleton and skull of Salwasiren was collected. Many of the sea cow bones from Al Maszhabiya (including the site displayed in this 3D model) may represent additional specimens of Salwasiren. There is also the chance that they represent other species of fossil sea cows because elsewhere in the world multiple species of fossil sea cows tend to be found together. The fossils from Al Maszhabiya represent one of the richest sites of fossil sea cows in the world. The density of sea cow fossils likely reflects the long-term occupation of ancient sea cows in this part of the world, which was a biodiversity hotspot for marine life in the Early Miocene.