66-million-year-old vomit fossil discovered in Denmark

Some discoveries are hard to stomach — literally.

A quirky and fascinating addition to Denmark’s natural history has been uncovered — a 66-million-year-old vomit fossil.

Local fossil hunter Peter Bennicke found the fossil, officially named Danekræ DK-1295, at Stevns Klint in eastern Denmark. “Danekræ” are rare natural treasures of Denmark. They must be evaluated by the national Danekræ committee of the Natural History Museum of Denmark before they receive the designation, according to the University of Copenhagen and the National History Museum Denmark.

Bennicke made the discovery after he noticed a strange collection of sea lily fragments embedded in chalk and to it to Geomuseum Faxe in November, said Jesper Milàn, museum curator at Geomuseum Faxe. After a cleaning and an analysis by Dutch sea lily expert John Jagt, it was determined that the clump contained remains from at least two species of sea lilies, the museum said.

Regurgitalites, or fossilized vomit, are rare but invaluable to scientists studying ancient ecosystems, as they reveal what predators ate and how food chains functioned millions of years ago, the museum said.

Milàn said a Cretaceous-era predator, possibly a fish, most likely consumed the sea lilies and later spat out the indigestible parts.

“It is truly an unusual find. Sea lilies are not a particularly nutritious diet, as they mainly consist of calcareous plates held together by very few soft parts,” Milàn said in a Østsjællands Museum news release.

Visitors can see the unusual relic of prehistoric dining habits during a special exhibition at the Geomuseum Faxe.