Pau Segurado, scientific collaborator of the MUCBO – Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals, recently attended two international palaeontology conferences, where he presented his latest research.
During the week of July 19, the international Paleo4Alps conference took place in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, where he presented two scientific communications.
One of these presentations focused on the Balearic Islands through a revision of fossil mammal remains from animals that inhabited Mallorca around 37 million years ago. More than a century after their first scientific description, these specimens have been re-examined using new perspectives and modern methodologies, providing valuable information about the fauna and ecosystems of the time, as well as the biogeographical relationships between the islands and the European mainland.
The second study focuses on a relative of modern crocodiles, a crocodylomorph that lived in Catalonia approximately 72 million years ago, during the final stages of coexistence with the dinosaurs. Thanks to the application of new imaging technologies and digital reconstruction techniques, researchers have successfully recreated the brain and other internal structures of this animal virtually, offering an exceptional insight into its biology and the evolution of prehistoric crocodiles.
With more than 320 participants attending the conference, these presentations represent an important step forward in showcasing the scientific potential of the Catalan-speaking territories. The results contribute to expanding our knowledge of the history of life and help place our natural heritage on the map of European research.
In addition to these presentations, Segurado participated last June in the 3rd Conference of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists, where he presented “Perissodactyl Mammals from the Upper Eocene of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean): A Systematic and Taxonomic Reassessment.”
The study re-examines fossil perissodactyl remains from the Eocene localities of Selva, Lloseta and Binissalem, housed in the collections of the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals, and confirms the presence of two species: Plagiolophus aff. annectens and Lophiotherium cervulum. The findings provide new information on mammalian diversity, ecosystems and the palaeobiogeography of the European Eocene, and suggest that Plagiolophus aff. annectens may represent a new species with possible characteristics of island endemism.
