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Showing results for tags 'oligocene'.
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
4.3g dark, transparent blue amber from West Sumatra. The inclusion is that of a well-preserved Pseudomyrmex sp. of ant. There is very little documentation, written or photographic, of the flora and fauna inclusions in Indonesian amber, unfortunately.© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
4.3g dark, transparent blue amber from West Sumatra. The inclusion is that of a slightly deteriorated specimen of Pseudomyrmex sp. of ant. There is very little documentation, written or photographic, of the flora and fauna inclusions in Indonesian amber, which makes me all the more excited to have discovered this piece!© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
4.3g dark, transparent blue amber from West Sumatra. After grinding and polishing, I was surprised to discover that it contains 2 ants and 2 winged ants (possibly wasps); these were a little tricky to photograph, due to the amber's strong fluorescence under 140 lumen LED light, so these inclusions had to be backlit. I used a Canon EOS 500D, Canon 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens, and combined 2x and 4x Hoya circular magnifier lenses (8x).© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
Palm-sized piece roughly 80g in weight, from the 2 previous entries. This photo better displays the surface fluorescence of the specimen.© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
Palm-sized piece roughly 80g in weight, from the previous entry. Transmitted light through the deepest portion of the piece displays the amber's deep red coloration.© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
Palm-sized piece roughly 80g in weight. There is a very thin layer of coal on the top and bottom of the piece, making it a good example of a seam-type formation. It's blue coloration is purely surface fluorescence, initiated in this case by a 140 lumen LED light; this fluorescence (especially under a non-LW UV light) is caused by the presence of an exceptionally high concentration of various hydrocarbons contained within the amber.© Kaegen Lau
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Sumatra Blue Amber (Sinamar Fm., ~30 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
Small (5-8g) partial nodules of raw blue amber from the east flank of the Bukit Barisan range of West Sumatra. These pieces are clear as glass, and fluoresce very nicely under a 140 lm LED light. *This Sumatra material (and Indonesian amber in general) is believed to have been produced by a parent tree belonging to the Dipterocarpaceae family; it's spectroscopic signature is also incredibly similar to Bitterfeld amber (also produced by a dipterocarp source tree). **This blue amber's particular locality is part of the Sinamar Fm., and the layers containing the resin are dated to be approximately 30 Ma (Oligocene, mid-Rupelian); the amber-bearing strata of this formation is located at a depth of approximately 32-39 m, and is composed of hard, banded coal (sub-divided into two layers of slightly different grades, 2.5m and 4.5m thick). I have 15 pieces, and these are the ones I haven't yet pre-formed. The piece in the upper-right corner is pre-formed (diamond needle files), and it is ready for increasing grades of sandpaper (240-3000 grit), and a final polish with a denim cloth and polishing compound (ZAM).© Kaegen Lau
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Hello everyone, Been a while since I made a post. Back in December I found a nice shell: Looting Lincoln Creek - Fossil Hunting Trips - The Fossil Forum. I'm not good with shells, I assume it's a conch of some kind. Anyways, having it out of the matrix has renewed my interest in it, and I was hoping someone might be able to tell me what kind of shell it is. Was also wondering if anyone knows a way I could keep it from falling apart, maybe with something I can coat it in. Just holding it for the picture, it felt like it was about to crumble to pieces. It is from the Lincoln Creek Formation in Washington, and dates back to the Oligocene.
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New Zealand Kids Discovered Fossil of New Giant Penguin Species on a Field Trip
Oxytropidoceras posted a topic in Fossil News
New Zealand Kids Discovered This Fossil of New Giant Penguin Species on a Field Trip Paleontologists say the bird would have been roughly the size of a ten-year-old child Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, September 17, 202 Children's Field Trip Yields New Penguin Species Kairuku waewaeroa lived eons ago in New Zealand John Johnson, Newser, Sep 17, 2021 The open access paper is: Simone Giovanardi, Daniel T. Ksepka & Daniel B. Thomas, 2021. A giant Oligocene fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand Article: e1953047 Received 15 Mar 2021, Accepted 01 Jul 2021, Published online: 16 Sep 2021 Yours, Paul H.- 1 reply
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A few weeks ago I completed a road trip from New Jersey to Texas for work and although Hurricane Ida sadly canceled nearly all of my plans, I was able to sneak in a couple quick fossil collecting stops. One such stop was at an outcrop of the Oligocene Vicksburg Group in Mississippi. I was primarily looking for echinoids- I sadly did not find any- but ended up finding this small shark tooth. I am by no means an expert on shark teeth and have tried in vain to research Oligocene sharks of Mississippi. Does anyone know what shark this tooth is from or of a good resource where I might be able to figure it out? It strikes me as similar to photos of Carcharhinus gibbesi from the Chandler Bridge Formation (see D in attached photo). Any help is greatly appreciated! Source: Late Oligocene Sharks and Rays from the Chandler Bridge Formation, Dorchester County, South Carolina, USA
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Since the spring my wife and I have been very busy with the garden and the orchard to maintain, the canned vegetables from our production, and we decided last Thursday to take a break for a geological excursion south of Clermont-Ferrand. The goal was twofold, to search for stromatolites and to take advantage of the volcanic context of the region. The detailed geological map of this area is unavailable but we had serious research ideas for our prospecting. The day began with a visit to a magnificent village that immediately immersed us in the context: Saint Saturnin. The walls of houses often combine basalt and limestone from the surrounding area. Usually tourists look at the fountain or the castle from a distance, but some are more original ... So, let's look at some examples in the walls of the houses in the village.
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I’m looking to trade some of my fossils for some new mammal material. Interested in carnivores, megafauna (focus on sloths but everything is of interest), titanothere fossils, but I’m willing to hear any mammal offer. Primarily interested in trading for teeth but always interested in hearing others too! Will provide any further pictures requested for interested people! Pretty little Chub, I don’t have any locality info on it but it is a nice little guy. 1.72” Attractive little Low Country Meg. 2.13”. Some Pleistocene armadillo scutes and turtle spurs. The scutes are from Texas, the Spurs are from Florida. Largest spur is about 1.5” across, largest scute is 2.33” long. Really nice group of Cretaceous Gar scales from Hell Creek. Many sizes and colors here! Mix of Cretaceous Shark Teeth from Texas. Nice colorful little bunch in a floating frame case. Largest tooth is .81”.
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I've noticed that despite finding loads of petrified wood deep in East Texas (around Jasper, just east of Lake Sam Rayburn), I've never heard of any vertebrate material being uncovered in the area. I specifically spend a lot of time hunting petrified wood on the catahoula formation ( which is Oligocene) when I'm there, and there's definitely no shortage of said petrified wood. If so many trees are fossilized, shouldn't there be fossils of the animals that lived along side them too?
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Made my first fossil hunting trip to South Carolina, went to some areas around Summerville, thought I’d share pics of some of the fossils I collected! The best finds were some echovenator-like teeth, Angies, great whites, some intact sections of dugong ribs, and several associated pieces of a sea turtle shell. Felt like Indiana Jones exploring all the creeks trying to find productive spots haha. Fun trip, hope to return in the future!
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Hi guys, I have a few bits and bobs I would really appreciate help with identifying, let me know if you need better photos of anything thanks for your help lets start with some Oligocene stuff from Yarmouth, 1. Some kind of skull element, what from though? 2. This is very weird, it does remind me of a tiny croc scute though 3. Some kind of ankle bone? and some from the lower greensand of whale chine, Isle of Wight, it is a coral, but not the usual holycites elegans, a book I read mentions a very rare mushroom shaped coral, like this maybe? So what do you think it’s about 13 cm long
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I was recently out vacationing in Wyoming and spent Saturday morning (7/24/21) hunting in the badlands. As I sat down to rest for a moment, I looked down and saw what I thought were a radius/ulna pair from a small mammal. Upon closer inspection, it was a pair of lower jaws freshly exposed on the edge of a nodule and on the backside, a small skull. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I spent a bit of time making sure the specimen was consolidated (Paleobond Penetrant, wish I had brought some 4417) and packed it up for the trip home. I was thinking it would make a great Vertebrate Fossil of the Month but as I am unsure of my identification and being a skilled preparator, I thought it would be more interesting to show the process. I do suspect the specimen to be the marsupial, Herpetotherium fugax. However, without seeing the teeth, this is mostly a guess. I do have another specimen with a similar endocast which is what I am using as my basis for an identification at the moment. Though I am quite unsure if the endocasts of the Insectivores have the same character. Pardon my anatomy if I get this wrong but there is a fold between the parietal lobes and the occipital lobe that you can see in the above photo and that is what I'm guessing my ID on. Once we get the teeth exposed, we will know for sure. Here are the pieces on my desk with some better lighting and measurements. A bit of cranium on the negative. The top of the skull. And the lower jaw that was seen exposed. The plan is as follows: 1. Clean the blocks of any mud/loose chips 2. Glue the blocks solidly back together 3. Bulk matrix removal with pneumatic tools (ARO/Paleotool Microjack-3) 4. Fine matrix removal under a scope/micro abrasion I'll write up each step as I progress. Enjoy! And @jpc I apologize for not visiting you, but it was a whirlwind trip. I'll catch you next time!
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Picked up a few more shells from the Lincoln Creek Formation while out on a walk, and thought it would be fun to make a composite piece with them. Was pretty easy, just used superglue to fix a couple of moon snails and a scaphopod to a tiny slab of shale from the formation. For my first composite piece I don't think it looks bad, but I was obviously a little too excessive with the glue.
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I bought this large jaw section at MAPS a couple years ago. It was labeled fossil jaw Badlands and that's it. I've collected the Badlands of Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota many times and built a large collection of fossils from these localities. However this jaw has stumped me. My thought was the large Miocene Oreodont Promerycochoerus. Any input will be appreciate. The size of the jaw is 153mm or a little over 6 inches long. The rear molar is 50 mm or 2 inches long. Thank You.
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Alternative combinations: Diaphus moravicus and Leuciscus moravicus. Taxonomy according to Fossilworks.org. Description of Oligophus moravicus according to Přikryl et al. 2017, pp. 219-220: “The following description is based on the almost complete specimen Tv 1023a and its counterpart specimen Tv 1023b. They show a preorbital length much shorter than orbit diameter. The head is rounded, with an antero-dorsally oriented mouth. The lower jaw joint is located far posterior to the posterior-most margin of the orbit. The maxillary is slender throughout. There is no indication of a supramaxilla. The cleithrum seems to be delicate without well-developed posterior lamina. The vertebral column is not completely preserved in any of the specimens, but the total number of vertebrae seems to be 34 or 35. Remains of ventral procurrent rays are recognizable and therefore the vertebral number cannot have been much higher; about 16 centra are abdominal. Nine pairs of ribs are preserved. The pectoral fins are long, reaching the level of the posterior third of the abdomen, and are composed of about 13 rays. The pelvic fins are located below the dorsal-fin insertion and consist of seven or eight rays; the pelvic girdle is inadequately preserved. The dorsal fin is located at midlength of the body length and is composed of slightly more than 11 rays. The anal fin contains 12 or 13 rays. The body is covered by cycloid scales. The individual photophores are slightly thickened and although the complete photophore formula is not recognizable, a reconstruction of the preserved part shows the pattern reported in Figs. 3 and 4. The fish is slightly distorted midventrally, so that the photophores of the right side area appear to be located higher than on the left side (colour-coded in Fig. 3). The photophores appear to be lens-like. There are faint indications of two photophores just above and below the pectoral-fin base which could represent the PLO and the upper PVO. The four rear PO are preserved, with PO4 being slightly elevated. Five VO, none of them elevated, and three SAO are clearly discernable, the three SAO being located on a straight upward directed line. The AO sequence is apparently incomplete posteriorly and appears to be separated in an anterior and a posterior part. Other photophores are not clearly recognizable. The inner faces of both the saccular otoliths of the specimens Tv 1023a and Tv 1023b are exposed (Fig. 5A, B). The overall outline of the otolith is moderately elongate with a long rostrum, a depressed predorsal rim, a strongly developed and far backward positioned postdorsal angle, a blunt posterior rim and a regularly bent ventral rim. The length to height ratio of the otolith is 1.2 to 1.3. The ventral rim bears 7 strong denticles. The length of the rostrum is about 15% of the otolith length; excisura and antirostrum are weak. The inner face shows a slightly supramedian positioned sulcus with the ostium being longer but slightly narrower than the cauda. The ratio between the length of ostium and cauda is 1.3-1.5. A ventral pseudocolliculum is well developed below the caudal colliculum. The dorsal field bears a large dorsal depression; the ventral field shows a distinct ventral furrow at some distance from the ventral rim of the otolith. The inner face is nearly flat. The outer face is exposed in the specimen Tv 1025 and is distinctly convex and smooth with a postcentral umbo.” Line drawing of Oligophus moravicus from Přikryl et al, 2017, p. 220. Identified by oilshale using Přikryl et al. 2017. References: Pauca, M. (1931): Zwei Fischfaunen aus den oligozaenen Menilitschifern von Mähren. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 46: 147-152. Prokofiev, A. M. (2006): Fossil Myctophoid Fishes (Myctophiformes: Myctophoidei) from Russia and Adjacent Regions. Journal of Ichthyology 46 (Suppl. 1): S38-S83. DOI: 10.1134/S0032945206100043 Gregorova, R. (2004): A new Oligocene genus of lanternfish (family Myctophidae) from the Carpathian Mountains. Revue de Paléobiologie, Genève 9: 81-97. Přikryl, T., Schwarzhans, W., Kovalchuk, O. (2017): Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) with otoliths in situ from the Early Oligocene of the Eastern Paratethys (western Ukraine). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 285 (2): 213-225. https://doi.org/10.1127/njgpa/2017/0678
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Very probably Propteridium profondae Ciobanu, 1970. Taxonomy according to Přikryl, 2018. From Fahay, 2007, p. 649: “The order Ophidiiformes (sensu Cohen and Nielsen 1978; Nielsen et al., 1999) contains the suborders Bythitoidei, viviparous forms with an external intromittent organ, and Ophidioidei, oviparous forms with pelvic fins at level of preopercle or farther anterior, and caudal fin confluent with dorsal and anal fins.” Description of Propterides profondae according to Přikryl and Carnevale, 2018, p. 482: “The head is more or less triangular in shape; its length is contained about four times in SL. The cranial bones are difficult to recognize due to inadequate preservation. The ethmoid region is thick and expanded. The vomer is edentulous. The orbit is rather large; its diameter equals the snout length. The frontals are expanded posteriorly, becoming narrow in the orbital region. The mouth gape is slightly oblique and extends posteriorly at the level of the midlength of the orbit. The premaxilla is poorly preserved and bears a single row of tiny and well-spaced teeth. The maxilla is distally expanded and spatulate. The lower jaw protrudes anteriorly beyond the anterior margin of the upper jaw. The lower jaw joint is located at the level of the midlength of the orbit. The dentary is relatively low. The dentary teeth seem to be similar to those of the upper jaw. There are eight branchiostegal rays. The vertebral column consists of approximately 47 (12 abdominal plus 35 caudal) vertebrae. The vertebral centra are rectangular, longer than high, becoming smaller and more elongate posteriorly. The five posterior abdominal vertebrae bear large and approximately triangular parapophyses with distally pointed tips (Fig. 6A). Pointed dorsal prezygapophyses are well-developed throughout the vertebral column, whereas ventral prezygapophyses solely characterize the caudal centra (Fig. 6B, C). There are about seven pairs of ribs, of which the posterior rib is associated with the penultimate abdominal vertebra (Fig. 6A). Fragments of intermuscular bones are also preserved; however, their original number and relative position is difficult to interpret. The median fins and their internal supports are only partially preserved. The caudal fin and its skeletal support are not preserved. The preserved portion of the dorsal fin originates above the seventh or eighth abdominal vertebra, although it seems to be slightly displaced from its original position. About 50 dorsal-fin rays can be recognized, although their original number was certainly higher. The size and limits of the anal fin can be recognized, but due to inadequate preservation it is not possible to interpret the actual number of anal-fin rays and the morphology and configuration of the anal-fin pterygiophores. The dorsal-fin rays appear to be longer than their opposite anal-fin rays. The pectoral fin contains about 17 elongated rays that extend posteriorly beyond the tenth abdominal vertebra. The structure of the pectoral girdle is unclear. The pelvic fins are thoracic and contain two filamentous rays. The basipterygia are not recognizable. Thin and small cycloid scales are preserved in caudal region of the body (at the level of the vertebrae 20th to 23th).” Identified by T. Přikryl (Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) as Propteridium sp. References: Fahay, M. P. (2007): Early stages of fishes in the Western North Atlantic Ocean: Davis Strait, Southern Greenland and Flemish Cap to Cape Hatteras. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1696 p. Arambourg, C. (1967): Les Poissons oligocénes de lʼIran. Notes et mémoires sur le Moyen-Orient 8, 9–247. Ciobanu, M. (1970): Date noi asupra peştilor fosili din Oligocenul dela Piatra Neamţ (II). Studii şi Cercetari 1, 67–90. Ciobanu, M. (1977): Fauna Fosila din Oligocenul de la Piatra Neamt. 1-159. Přikryl, T. & Carnevale, G. (2018): Ophidiiform fishes from the Oligocene–early Miocene of Moravia, Czech Republic. Bulletin of Geosciences 93(4), 477–489 (12 figures, 3 tables). Czech Geological Survey, Prague. ISSN 1214-1119. https://www.doi.org/10.3140/bull.geosci.1724
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Probably Propercarina cf. rebeli Pauca, 1929. Alternative name: Palimphyes cf. rebeli (Pauca, 1929). Taxonomy according to Fossilworks.org. Diagnosis for the genus Propercarina according to Prikryl et al., 2014, p. 693: “Emended diagnosis (according to Pauca, 1929, 1934 and Bannikov, 1995, 2010, modified): Body elongated. Dorsal and ventral edges of body are almost parallel and they run alongside the axis of the vertebral column; the body is covered by small cycloid scales; the lateral line is parallel to the dorsal edge of the body and runs just dorsal to the vertebral column; massive but short preorbital area (snout); mouth gap is moderate; jaws possess teeth; ventral edge of the preopercle smooth; the postcleithrum is massive and long (almost reaching the ventral profile of body); three predorsals; two separated dorsal fins (first with six to nine spines; second with one spine and numerous posteriorly shortened soft rays); the dorsal fins are separated by about 5 or 6 ray-less interneurals; anal fin with two short spines and numerous soft rays; anal-fin rays more numerous than soft dorsal-fin rays; pectoral fins are relatively short and situated just under the level of the vertebral column; pelvic fins with a spine and 5 rays, located under pectoral fins, present in adults; caudal fin is moderately long and forked; 35–36 rectangular vertebrae with the posterior abdominal ones bearing long parapophyses with associated thin and long ribs.” Line drawing from Bannikov, 1995, p. 179. Identified by T. Prikryl (Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) as Propercarina sp. References: Bannikov A.F. 1995. Morphology and phylogeny of fossil stromateoid fishes (Perciformes). Geobios 28 (Supplement 2): 177–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-6995(95)80109-X Prikryl, T., Kania, I., and Krzeminski, W. (2016): Synopsis of fossil fish fauna from the Hermanowa locality (Rupelian; Central Paratethys; Poland): current state of knowledge. Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 109 (3): 429–443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00015-016-0216-5 Prikryl, T., Bannikov, A. F., Gradianu, I., Kania, I., Krzeminski, W. (2014): Revision of the family Propercarinidae (Perciformes, Stromateoidei) with description of a new species from the Oligocene of the Carpathians. Comptes Rendus Palevol 13(8) 691-700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2014.07.001
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Sharing one of many finds this week and another hike planned next week. Early Oligocene, billfish concretion of the Lincoln Creek Formation. Additionally, several large whale vertebrae found, coral, sponges, shark vertebrae and dolphin. My apologies for not frequenting TFF as often as I should, getting old and napping more. 1st image: shark vertebra, 2nd: billfish, 3rd: whale vertebra, 4th: billfish vertebra. Chopping fallen trees to the site.. with pickax. My collection for a chain saw.
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New fossils of giant rhinos — the largest land mammals ever — are found in China (nbcnews.com) Giant rhino unearthed in China was one of largest mammals ever to live | New Scientist New fossils reveal one of the largest land mammals ever found (yahoo.com) Since the late 2000s, scientists from China have treated Paraceratherium grangeri as a distinct species from Paraceratherium fossils found in Central Asia (named Indricotherium by Aleksei Alekseeivich Borissiak in 1916), and the taxon P. huangheense described in 2017 further indicates that not all fossils of Paraceratherium found outside Pakistan belong to the same species. Deng, T.; Lu, X.; Wang, S.; Flynn, L. J.; Sun, D.; He, W.; Chen, S. (2021). An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution. Communications Biology. 4: Article number 639. doi:10.1038/s42003-021-02170-6. PMID 34140631.
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I found this front bit of carnivore jaw while out on my latest fossil collecting trip in the White River Formation of Colorado. Only one tooth is complete, the canine tooth has broken off. It’s too large to be Hesperocyon and the cross section of the canine tooth does not match that of Daphoenus, which I have previously collected material, including a canine tooth, from. That leaves Hyaenodon and the Nimravids. After doing some comparative research with pictures of skulls, I am tentatively leaning towards this being from a Nimravid, as the contours of the jaw line near the socket where the canine tooth sits are fairly distinctive and match those in the pictures of Nimravid skulls almost perfectly, less so than the contours seen in the skull of Hyaenodon horridus. Plus, the canine tooth is triangular in cross section, and though I couldn’t find any specific references on this bit of anatomy that makes more sense to me for the stabbing canines of a Nimravid rather than the flatter canines of Hyaenodon. But alas, here I am to get other opinions. Hyaenodon or Nimravid? Or something else entirely? (I am fairly confident this isn’t just a piece of oreodont jaw, haha). Thanks in advance.
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Adventures in the White River Badlands of Colorado
Opabinia Blues posted a topic in Fossil Hunting Trips
I just got back from an amazing and very fruitful week of fossil collecting on the White River Formation in northeastern Colorado. The White River Formation is a very easy and fun rock unit to collect vertebrate fossils on. The White River Formation was deposited during the very latest Eocene and the early Oligocene, though the faunal diversity in the areas I was collecting on suggest it was laid down during the Orellan North American Land Mammal Age, which centers on around 33 million years ago during the Rupelian age of the Oligocene Epoch. I am very lucky to have a grand uncle Gary (no biological relationship to me, is a close family friend who we’ve called “uncle” since I was a toddler) who is a cattle rancher up in northeastern Colorado, and he happens to have a pretty good amount of White River exposure on his property, in addition to some of the neighboring ranches of which Gary knows the owners and helped me to secure permission to collect on a few of them. He really is a great guy and is a real life true American cowboy. He has an interest in natural history and was eager to hear all about the fossils and geology of the area, though has never had the formal education or done the research to learn much about what’s out there. This is the second fossil collecting trip I’ve made to the ranch, though the first one where I’ve stayed for more than one night. The place truly is an amazing trove of fossil treasures and I can’t wait to tell you all about my week! In this thread I’ll make one post for each day (so as to not hit the picture limit too soon). Once I have the fossils prepped I’ll give updates here as well. Day 1, Sunday: My first day at the ranch began, ironically, at my own house. I had packed up the Jeep the night before with my field bag, two coolers filled with seven day’s worth of food, a suitcase full of clothes, and other such supplies for my fossil safari. I left my home early in the morning, took I-76 east to Fort Morgan, and then headed north to the ranch, in total about a 2.5 hour drive. The rest of the morning and early afternoon I spent visiting with and going over logistics with Gary and his wife and settling in at the ranch house I would be staying at, a property that used to be the home of another rancher before Gary acquired the property in 2002. They still maintain the house and it has both electricity and running water, so it makes a fantastic guest house and a place to stay when they’re doing work over on that side of their land. In the evening after I had made myself a quick dinner I decided I wanted to head down to a very productive exposure I had collected on last September for the evening. There was a partial oreodont skeleton that I had discovered eroding out of the hill the last time I was up there, and I wanted to see if there were any more bones there that had eroded out and I could collect. I picked up a few more bones from the feet and ankles that had been exposed in the last eight months and decided to take a scenic route back to my vehicle. A photo of the area of exposure I was in Sunday evening. This piece of badland will become very important throughout the rest of the week... On my walk back I walked over a ridge that I had apparently never been over, becase on a flat wash I noticed a pile of bone fragments. I approached the pile assuming that it would be yet another exploded tortoise shell that are so common in the area. As I got closer however, I was delightfully surprised to see the distinctive black color of fossil enamel, and a bit of digging revealed an eroded Subhyracodon jaw section, along with several loose teeth that I presume had come from the same section of jaw. This find, along with an oreodont jaw section I found later on while walking back to the Jeep that night, would be but a foreshadow of the big finds I would make later in the week. Two photos of the Subhyracodon jaw section as it was found in the field. The jaw section and some teeth after I had cleaned them up a little bit at home this afternoon.
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