Scientists have discovered fossils in Qatar of a small sea cow species that lived over 20 million years ago, providing insights into ancient seagrass ecosystems. The find, from the Al Maszhabiya site, represents the densest collection of such fossils known. This ancient relative of modern dugongs highlights a long history of marine herbivores shaping the Arabian Gulf's environment.
In southwestern Qatar, at the Al Maszhabiya site, researchers uncovered a rich assemblage of sea cow fossils dating back to the Early Miocene, about 21 million years ago. The site, first noted in the 1970s during mining surveys and revisited in the early 2000s, yielded remains at over 170 locations, making it the world's densest known sea cow bonebed. A team from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and Qatar Museums surveyed the area in 2023 after obtaining permits.
The fossils belong to a newly identified species, Salwasiren qatarensis, named after the nearby Bay of Salwa and Qatar. This ancient sea cow weighed around 250 pounds, much smaller than modern dugongs, which can reach nearly 2,000 pounds. Unlike today's dugongs, Salwasiren retained hind limb bones, had a straighter snout, and smaller tusks. The surrounding rocks indicate a shallow sea habitat with sharks, prehistoric dolphins, barracuda-like fish, and sea turtles.
"This part of the world has been prime sea cow habitat for the past 21 million years -- it's just that the sea cow role has been occupied by different species over time," said Nicholas Pyenson, curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian and lead author of the study published December 10 in PeerJ.
The discovery shows that seagrass meadows thrived in the region 21 million years ago, maintained by these herbivores through grazing and sediment disturbance, much like modern dugongs. Today, the Arabian Gulf hosts the largest dugong herd, but they face threats from accidental fishing catches, coastal development, rising temperatures, and increasing salinity affecting seagrass beds.
Ferhan Sakal, head of excavation at Qatar Museums and coauthor, emphasized the value of these records: "If we can learn from past records how the seagrass communities survived climate stress or other major disturbances like sea-level changes and salinity shifts, we might set goals for a better future of the Arabian Gulf."
The team created 3D digital scans of the fossils, available via the Smithsonian Voyager platform, to aid further research. Plans include nominating Al Maszhabiya for UNESCO World Heritage status to preserve Qatar's fossil heritage.