Distinct marks on cave bones can reveal how underwater fossil deposits formed and changed over time. “Backed by radiocarbon-dated bones, we tracked how skeletons accumulated and were modified over decades and centuries in underwater caves, then compared them to those buried in dry caves. Underwater caves leave distinct fingerprintsThe comparison showed that submerged caves can preserve bones with exceptional clarity, retaining both their overall form and fine surface details. Dry cave remains followed a different path. A framework for submerged fossils“This study has delivered the first framework for interpreting how megafauna fossils formed, survived, and changed in underwater caves,” Miss Walker said.