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  1. Hiya guys! I'd like to ask help for ID. This tooth in matrix is from Akrabou Formation in Goulmima, Morocco, and I would like to know which polycotylid plesiosaur (maybe?) species can match this tooth🧐
  2. Slow Walker

    Tooth id?

    Trying to ID these teeth from Pierre shale sd. Hard to get closer photo without blurring. Guessing mosasaur or plesiosaur but wondering if species type is possible. Thanks
  3. Found possible skull but still unearthed. This point fell off which had others in a row, like a jaw. I took a pic before gluing it and plastering it up. Sorry for poor pic. Wondering if anyone can tell if it's tooth. And if so from what. Thanks
  4. This is a marine reptile bone that i found nearly 10 years ago between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, which is famous for its Early Jurassic marine fossils (about 195 million years old). Although it is worn there is some clear shape that should indicate what bone it is, although i have so far been unable to figure it out. Realistically, it is going to be ichthyosaur (most likely) or plesiosaur in origin. Two ovular depressions/joint surfaces are clearly visible on one side of the bone. Furthermore, the flatness of the bone is real and not just due to wear (both main faces are the edge/surface of the bone). The side with the two suspected joint surfaces is the thickest side, and it slopes down to become progressively thinner opposite to them. A paddle bone of some sort is my suspicion but i am yet to see a clear match. Any ideas? Thanks!
  5. I recently acquired this piece. It's a little over an inch long, from the Asfla region of Morocco. It was labeled pliosaur but looking at other pictures online, it appears to favor a Polycotylidae plesiosaur tooth. Thoughts?
  6. RuMert

    A set of plesiosaur vertebrae

    From the album: Late Jurassic plesiosaurs from the Volga

    Ulyanovsk Oblast, Undory, Kimmeridgian, phosphorite
  7. RuMert

    Plesiosaur caudal vertebra, angles

    From the album: Late Jurassic plesiosaurs from the Volga

    Ulyanovsk Oblast, Undory, Kimmeridgian-Volgian boundary, phosphorite
  8. RuMert

    Plesiosaur caudal vertebra

    From the album: Late Jurassic plesiosaurs from the Volga

    Ulyanovsk Oblast, Undory, Kimmeridgian-Volgian boundary, phosphorite
  9. Sonickmonx

    Plesiosaur? Vert

    From the album: Sonickmonx's South Carolina Finds

    This vertebra is almost 4" in diameter. I found it in the Donoho Creek Formation. According to my references this is a massive plesiosaur vertebra. I have had some discussion around it, but have not had any evidence pointing to another culprit.
  10. I recently acquired a tooth fossil from UK. The locality of the tooth labeled by the seller is Oxford Clay, but I suspect it might come from Faringdon Sponge Gravels due to its preservation. The tooth seems to have carinae, which rarely occurs on plesiosaur and pliosaur teeth. Can anyone help me identify this tooth? Would it possibly be a candidate for Dakosaur?
  11. There wasn't a huge amount of information to go off of from what I found, so I was wondering if anyone here could help who is familiar with this material. I was not sure if the label and ID provided for this specimen was accurate or not, and the color doesn't seem to match up with the few specimens I've seen online which are more of a lighter brown to tan. Scanisaurus is maybe just used as a wastebasket term for most of what comes out of the deposit? Species: Scanisaurus nazarowi Age: Cretaceous, Campanian Formation: Kristianstad Basin Provenance: Northwest Skåne Province, Southern Sweden Just looking at the wiki, for plesiosaurids, there's Scanisaurus, cf. Elasmosaurus, and indeterminate polycotylids. Measurement is in centimeters.
  12. RuMert

    Plesiosaur vertebrae

    From the album: Late Jurassic plesiosaurs from the Volga

    Ulyanovsk Oblast, Undory, Kimmeridgian, pyritized
  13. Hi all! Here's a short trip report to show the diversity of fossil hunting conditions in the Jurassic. We have very few places with large inflated mid-Oxfordian ammonites, most of them are shown below. The red mark is on the site I discuss. It's on the Volga too, but much less accessible and productive than others. The site is situated some 10km to the east of Kineshma, a not-so-rich middle-sized town. I visited it in various seasons but couldn't catch a suitable water level. The shore is either under snow or the water is already high and remains high throughout the year.
  14. Hi everyone, I recently found a marine reptile tooth fossil that was discovered in Stary Oskol, Russia. The tooth is currently labeled as “Pliosaur” by the seller. Considering the prevalent geological age of the Stary Oskol region as Cretaceous, it indicates that the tooth could be from a Cretaceous plesiosaur or pliosaur. However, the absence of enamel striation raises doubts about its identity, as most Cretaceous pliosaur teeth typically exhibit fine striations across the circumference. Any thoughts on this?
  15. RuMert

    Plesiosaur phalanges

    From the album: Late Jurassic plesiosaurs from the Volga

    Undory, Ulyanovsk Oblast (1,2) and Kineshma, Ivanovo Oblast (3), phosphorite
  16. I recently acquired three tooth fossils from southwestern China initially labeled as a "Plesiosaurus indet." tooth. The specific locality of the tooth fossils is the Lower Shaximiao Formation, Zigong, Sichuan, China. The age of the Lower Shaximiao formation ranges from Early to Middle Jurassic. The only known plesiosaur species from the Shaximiao formation is Bishanopliosaurus zigongensis, a rhomaleosaurus. If these three tooth are indeed identified as a plesiosaur tooth, they probably belong to Bishanopliosaurus sp. Can anyone help me to identify whether these teeth are plesiosaur teeth?
  17. Alston Gee

    Dolichorhynchops tooth from Kansas?

    I recently came across a "Dolichorhynchops" tooth listed for sale by a US seller. However, I am unable to personally verify its identity due to my limited knowledge of polycotylid teeth. Based on the provided pictures, the tooth fossil exhibits a strong curvature and appears to have ornamentation solely on its lingual surface. Do these characteristics suggest that it belongs to Dolichorhynchops?
  18. Mikrogeophagus

    Leptocleidian Plesiosaur, Rush Creek

    From the album: Woodbine Formation

    Leptocleidian Plesiosaur, North TX Cenomanian, Cretaceous Jul, 2023 Between Leptocleididae and Polycotylidae it is unclear which of the two sister families (both within the clade Leptocleidia) this tooth belongs to. This tooth is from marine coastal strata that would have been in near proximity to freshwater sources (see the Woodbine river delta that once existed over Grapevine Lake). Leptocleididae is known up until the Early Albian from freshwater, near shore, and brackish environments. Some possible teeth were documented from the Kem Kem river system which is similarly aged Cenomanian rock. They typically have very gracile teeth similar to this specimen. Polycotylidae is a sister taxon that extends through into much younger deposits and is regarded as a marine group. They arose in the Albian and typically have more robust morphologies, though a basal species could be gracile like this specimen.
  19. This partial tooth is sold as Eurycleidus sp. tooth from the Westbury Formation, Penarth Group of Blue Anchor, Somerset, UK. The tooth is 5mm in height. Thoughts on it?
  20. Mikrogeophagus

    Woodbine Plesiosaur? Leptocleididae?

    A tooth I recently pulled from my Woodbine honey hole keeps getting better the more I look at it. I originally thought it was just a really big crocodile tooth of the species Woodbinesuchus byersmauricei, a common find for the site. After cleaning it today, I noticed it was pretty different and am now 90% sure it's a plesiosaur tooth, perhaps from the family Leptocleididae (as opposed to Polycotylidae or Elasmosauridae) and maybe with some real scientific significance! Stay with me here... Crocodile teeth are pretty common for the site. So why do I think this isn't one? Besides being quite large for a croc, the 12 enamel ridges on this specimen vary in shape and are spaced out whereas my crocs typically exhibit tightly spaced, uniform ridges numbering in the many dozens. The ridges on the "plesiosaur" are restricted to the lingual side. My crocs typically have ridges spanning the entire circumference of the crown, though they sometimes peter out on the labial side as well. Another significant difference is in the sigmoidally curved crown which is normal in plesiosaurs and generally not seen in crocs. "Plesiosaur" (L) and Croc (R); Note the significantly different enamel ridge characteristics. "Plesiosaur" and my complete crocs. Quite large relatively speaking. It's crown is about 20 mm long and 6 mm in diameter. Sigmoidal curvature in the crown. I am less sure of the familial identification and beyond. A quick google search for Cenomanian Plesiosaurs revealed an interesting article on freshwater Kem Kem Group Plesiosaurs (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105310) from more or less the same time (Woodbine = mid Cenomanian vs. Kem Kem Group = ?Albian-Cenomanian). What initially caught my eye was Fig. 5 where a handful of similar teeth are shown: Fig. 5 from the article. Leptocleididae indet. shed teeth. These are thought to be indeterminate Leptocleididae shed teeth for features shared with my specimen. The authors rule out Polycotylidae on the basis that those teeth are usually more robust. They acknowledge that longer teeth of Polycotylidae do occur, but the striations are finer than Leptocleididae. The authors contrast their teeth (and mine) from Elasmosauridae and Cryptoclididae by stating that those families have straighter teeth with more labio-lingually compressed crowns that create a strong oval cross section. My tooth and those shown above are sub-circular/slightly oval-shaped. Another point to make is that Leptocleididae plesiosaurs are UNKNOWN from deep water environments and are instead suggested to be nearshore specialists (Woodbine is famously nearshore with its crocs, Cretodus semiplicatus, and other nearshore fauna). On the other hand, Polycotylidae, the sister taxon, is a deeper water family. Hard to show a good cross-section because a chunk of root juts out of the bottom making it look more labiolingually compressed than it really is! Implications and Significance: One extremely interesting aspect of plesiosaur ecology that is highlighted by the article is their strong presence in prehistoric freshwater ecosystems. Plesiosaur teeth of the family Leptocleididae are commonly found in the Kem Kem river systems which isn't crazy given they are thought to be nearshore specialists. The authors note that contemporaneous marine deposits have yet to yield Leptocleididae material, which makes one wonder: were they freshwater specialists unable to live in the ocean? I would've been inclined to assume they could survive both fresh and salt given my preconceived notions on plesiosaurs, but there is a lack of hard proof... Until now? If this is what I think it is... this may be the first evidence of Leptocleididae found in a marine deposit contemporaneous with the Kem Kem Group! Just the missing puzzle piece emphasized in the article. Reeling it back in- Keep in mind, a few hours ago I thought this was just a big croc tooth! Also, I don't know much of anything about plesiosaurs since I had never found such material previously. My head is spinning with all these new names. Hopefully you all can provide some clarity on this matter. @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon @Jared C @PaleoPastels. Feel free to tag anyone else you know who might have some knowledge on the subject! Pics: ~Thanks for reading~
  21. Mioplosus_Lover24

    Polycotylid Plesiosaur Tooth From Kem Kem?

    I bought this tooth on impulse a few days ago. To me it looks like a fully rooted Plesiosaur tooth. It has all the characteristics of being from the Kem Kem Beds aswell. I've not seen any other rooted teeth to compare it to. So, did I score, or did I buy a crocodile tooth?
  22. I forgot I bought these---three small teeth from Wealden. Seller says could be Plesiosaur, and that the one in the larger matrix is most likely a Plesiosaur. If someone could take a look that'd be great. They are all from the Wealden Clay of Hastings. All very small, just under 1 cm. So if plesiosaur, they would be juvenile. The one loose from the matrix has striations. cheers
  23. Hello all, here is a bit of personal news to share. Back in March of 2021 (on my 25th birthday) I discovered a remarkably complete skeleton of an elasmosaurid plesiosaur in the Smoky Hill Chalk member of western Kansas. These animals are especially rare in this formation and my discovery includes the second known skull found in the state. I have now partnered with a local museum to create a fossil prep lab and exhibit space as I uncover the specimen. The exhibit will be around all summer if you find yourself in the area, and the museum is free of charge. Feel free to reach out ahead of time and I would be happy to give you an in-person tour. Hopefully you can read the text of this article in the local Scott County newspaper. This has been an amazing ride so far and I look forward to sharing more as the project moves ahead!
  24. Slow Walker

    2ft by 2ft Plesiosaur pelvis

    Was wondering which plesiosaur species it might come from. Pierre shale sd 2ft by 2ft. It was broken before fossilizing also encrusted in crystals. Some parts are only .5in thin. Wasn't sure if it was worth picking up. It's a complete rear pelvis. Found verts and other leg bones by it. It was facing up like in photo. But not sure which side is which when it was alive. Bottom point is where it attaches to leg. The bottom of the nob on the left also looks like it was attached to something. As it shows cartilage remains. Maybe it attached to other side pelvis? I tried using this page to id it.
  25. Even after having a night to sleep on the fact, I'm still in shock. I was tempted to not even go on this trip since part of me wanted my plesiosaur tooth from last week's Woodbine adventure to be my final impression on North TX. The other part of me wanted one last crack at the Kamp Ranch and a new potential site. It's fine to return to already known locations, but I was thirsting for one more journey into unknown territory where the risk of failure is greater, but the taste of victory is sweeter. After swimming/wading a ways, I found the first small outcrop of Kamp Ranch. I've had some previous experience with this layer in the past, and the knowledge I picked up from then proved useful. While most of the outcrop was relatively devoid of vertebrate material, there was a thin pasty layer cemented to the underside of the thickest limestone that proved to be rich in teeth. I pried out the odd Ptychodus tooth here and there, but pretty soon I was out of real estate. The thick limestone slab looked precarious and the rest of the pasty matrix I was after was nestled deep in the crumbly wall. Noticing the slick shale beneath my feet, I decided jumping away from an avalanche was out of the question and it was time to move on. Ptychodus from the outcrop. All P. anonymous except the top right which may be a P. marginalis(?) lateral. On the walk over to the next outcrop, I made sure to scan the loose pieces of Kamp Ranch matrix scattered about. Most of them were only comprised of oyster bits and Collignoniceras woollgari impressions, but once in awhile there would be some shark. I went for a rock with a shiny black Ptychodus anonymous that had caught my eye. As I dug it out to have a closer look, I saw there was a tiny tan mosasaur situated next to it! Unfortunately it's cracked and in super hard material. If I try to bust it out, it will probably explode! Ptychodus anonymous and mosasaur tooth (Russelosaurine?) Just a few feet further I found an absolute heartbreaker. I could see black striations coming from the edge of a slab and my hopes shot up. As I turned the rock, I realized it was a shattered piece of a pliosaur tooth . Don't even think it's worth keeping... Pliosaur tooth, likely Brachauchenius lucasi I picked up my pack and headed to the last outcrop of Kamp Ranch. I was relieved to see the thick limestone was much more secure. As I examined underneath, I had my mind set on small Ptychodus teeth when I almost fell on my back from surprise. Cemented to the slab was a truly astonishing sight: Pliosaur Tooth! If that wasn't crazy enough, just centimeters below was a limb bone jutting out. I got out my excavating gear and carefully went to work. I don't carry b72 in the field, so each tooth fragment was extracted separately. Afterwards, the bone slid out pretty cleanly. I didn't find other similar material, so I'm not sure if the two are associated or it's just coincidence. Maybe someone familiar with reptile anatomy can say if the bone came from a pliosaur. The tooth came in 6 pieces Once I was home, I got straight to cleaning and gluing. The fragments had held up alright along the journey thankfully and the prep went smoothly. By the end, I was holding up the newest and greatest tooth in my collection! It is most likely Brachauchenius lucasi although Megacephalosaurus eulerti is also a rarer possibility (I don't have access to the paper distinguishing their dentition). Both of these pliosaurs represent the youngest pliosaurids in the fossil record which adds some extra coolness factor. That Woodbine plesiosaur tooth (possible basal Polycotylid) I found last week is interestingly tied evolutionarily with the demise of pliosaurs such as B. lucasi. Polycotylids had traditionally been placed in Pliosauridae until more recent findings moved them to Plesiosauroidea instead. This confusion is likely due to convergent evolution. As pliosaurs disappeared in the aftermath of the Cenomanian-Turonian Anoxic Event, it seems some Polycotylids evolved to fill a similar niche, moving away from gracile dentition (like my Woodbine specimen) and into a more robust form similar to B. lucasi. At least that is how I understand it. Brachauchenius lucasi most likely The second half of the neat discoveries is this reptile bone I found several centimeters below the tooth. I'm not sure it's associated. The high energy nature of the Kamp Ranch makes me wonder if it was just coincidence. Anyways, it seems to be a limb bone. If you look closely, you can see toothy scrapes that are probably from scavenging sharks. I tried to look for signs of serrated teeth, but I didn't see anything obvious. Some of the attached matrix is vertebrate rich with tons of little fish verts and other goodies. Anyone know if this is pliosaur in origin? @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Reptile Limb Bone So glad I decided to have one last exploration before my move. I guess it's not like I will never hunt in North TX again, it's just that it will be much, much more rare. I've added so many new, fun, and interesting sites to my list this past half year, I'm a bit sad to leave them all behind. At the same time, I'm itching with excitement to make new discovers in the southern half of our big state. It won't be easy though! Look forward to more trip reports in the not-so-distant future . Thanks for reading
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