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Scientists have developed a global map identifying areas where fossils of previously unknown prehistoric species may still be waiting to be discovered, offering paleontologists a guide to where future searches could be most productive.
The map is based on an extensive analysis of 540 million years of marine fossil records, which revealed significant gaps in scientists’ understanding of ancient life. The findings suggest that some of the best opportunities for new discoveries may lie in relatively recent geological periods rather than in the distant past.
The research was conducted by paleontologists Thomas A. Neubauer of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History in Germany and Mathias Harzhauser of the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Their study sought to identify where scientists should look next to expand knowledge of Earth’s prehistoric marine life.
Fossils provide important evidence of organisms that lived millions of years ago, but only a small proportion of ancient life was preserved in rock. Even fewer fossils have been discovered and studied, leaving major gaps in the history of marine species.
To identify potential areas for new discoveries, the researchers examined records of animals that inhabited shallow marine environments over the past 540 million years.
They used the Paleobiology Database, a global collection of published fossil records, to map locations where ancient marine species have been found and identify regions where fossil evidence remains limited.
The researchers then compared the fossil records with geological data to determine where potentially fossil-bearing rock formations are accessible today.
Their analysis challenged the assumption that older geological periods necessarily offer the greatest opportunities for discovering unknown species.
The Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, which cover hundreds of millions of years and include the age of dinosaurs, have produced many significant fossil discoveries. However, the researchers found that numerous shallow marine deposits from these periods have already been extensively explored.
By contrast, the Cenozoic Era, which began around 66 million years ago, appears to offer particularly promising opportunities for expanding the fossil record.
This suggests that important discoveries about prehistoric marine life may be found in comparatively young rocks rather than only in deposits dating back hundreds of millions of years.
The researchers hope the findings will help paleontologists direct fieldwork towards underexplored regions instead of concentrating on locations that have already been studied extensively.
The approach could also help identify overlooked specimens in museum collections, where fossils may remain unexamined for years.
By highlighting gaps in existing knowledge and linking them to accessible geological formations, the map could make the search for undiscovered prehistoric species more focused and efficient.