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So I was rooting again around in the garage and found a couple plates I had bought a few years back and never tracked down an ID for. Tentative provenance was Paleocene from Montana. I found this article recently and was wondering if it could be one of the genera/sp described or one of the other genera mentioned in the discussion section. Trapa, Trapago, Fortuna, Quereuxia. STOCKEY, R. A., AND G. W. ROTHWELL. 1997. The aquatic angiosperm Trapago angulata from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) St. Mary River Formation of southern Alberta. Int. J. Pl. Sci. 158: 83-94. Can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240563741_The_Aquatic_Angiosperm_Trapago_angulata_from_the_Upper_Cretaceous_Maastrichtian_St_Mary_River_Formation_of_Southern_Alberta I also was looking at the USGS pub 375 https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0375/report.pdf My plates have a number of leaflets and fragments with very little venation visible and in a pale gray and a light pink color in a very fine matrix.....Many of the leaflets have small teeth... Plates: Crenulations Leaflets and partial venation Anyone have any expertise in these? Looks like the authors were indicating more study is needed in this area of aquatic plants--that was 20 years ago. Any help is appreciated. Thanks! Regards, Chris

I have been out discovering some fossils and other cool stuff this spring. Lots of generally recognizable material but specifically I dont know what exactly I have here. Hopefully some of the enthusiasts and experts on the forum can help me out?

Hello TFF, I got a couple items from the Late Cretaceous of NJ that seem to be pathological. The first one, an Anomoeodus phaseolus tooth, seems to be very wrinkly and so I deemed it a patho. That is more of a verification as I haven’t seen a pathological one before. The second is an Ischyrhiza mira rostral blade that has a third carina on one of its faces and a slight flattening (flattening better seen in person). This is also a verification as I just didn’t expect to see a patho rostral. The third one is a bit strange. It is definitely a fish tooth. There are prominent growth cracks on the surface & no striations, which supports Xiphactinus. However, the base doesn’t look exactly elliptical (Xiphactinus) or bulging like in Enchodus. But it does look more like X-fish than Enchodus; it just seems as if one side of the base got flattened out, leading me to think that it could be a pathological Xiphactinus. The base also seems to be somewhat hollow (other than the matrix infill). @non-remanié Thanks guys! Anomoeodus phaseolus:

Hi everyone, I got this interesting peripheral turtle shell from the Late Campanian Wenonah formation of NJ. It is not reworked and seems to be IDable. It also has some interesting shark predation marks on the top of the first pic. It is about 2.75” X 2.25” @non-remanié Thanks for any help!

A new genus and species of hadrosauroid, Gobihadros mongoliensis, is described from a virtually complete and undeformed skull and skeleton from the Baynshire Formation (Cenomanian-Santonian) of the central and eastern Gobi Desert, Mongolia This paper is a GREAT reference for what the skull elements look like as well as most of the bones of the skeleton https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208480 A new hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Late Cretaceous Baynshire Formation of the Gobi Desert (Mongolia) Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, David B. Weishampel, David C. Evans , Mahito Watabe Published: April 17, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208480

Does anyone have a copy of the following paper: Ricardo C.Ely & Judd A.Case (2019) Phylogeny of a New Gigantic Paravian (Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Maniraptora) from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island, Antarctica. Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.04.003Â https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667118300120 Imperobator is quite notable as the first Gondwanan non-avialan paravian to be named from Antarctica.

Does anyone have a copy of these papers??? : Javier Párraga; Albert Prieto-Márquez (2019). Pareisactus evrostos, a new basal iguanodontian (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of southwestern Europe. Zootaxa 4555 (2): 247–258. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4555.2.5. PMID 30790960. Julian C. G. Junior Silva; Thiago S. Marinho; Agustín G. Martinelli; Max C. Langer (2019). Osteology and systematics of Uberabatitan ribeiroi (Dinosauria; Sauropoda): a Late Cretaceous titanosaur from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Zootaxa. 4577 (3): 401–438. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4577.3.1. It's quite odd that despite being described as a distinct genus from Rhabdodon, Pareisactus is known only from one skeletal element. Therefore, it is highly probable that some very fragmentary rhabdodontid specimens from France and Spain assigned to Rhabdodon could be from Pareisactus (Matheronodon shows that more than one rhabdodontid lived in Europe during the late Campanian-Maastrichtian interval).

Very cool article on a Hell Creek Fm bonebed in Bowman, North Dakota A meteor impact 66 million years ago generated a tsunami-like wave in an inland sea that killed and buried fish, mammals, insects and a dinosaur, the first victims of Earth’s last mass extinction event. The death scene from within an hour of the impact has been excavated at an unprecedented fossil site in North Dakota. (Graphics and photos courtesy of Robert DePalma) https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/03/29/66-million-year-old-deathbed-linked-to-dinosaur-killing-meteor/

The First Definite Lambeosaurine Bone From the Liscomb Bonebed of Upper Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation, Alaska is presented in this paper. Nothing spectacular just from a cool place Article https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/197034.php Paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41325-8?fbclid=IwAR0RTstNFgb9CWp6GdNEmGxb52k-44JZ5WfQMds2KgmFjY_mQc8wLF0BoP8

Hi, Is there a copy of the following paper: Leonardo S. Filippi, Leonardo Salgado & Alberto C. Garrido (2019) A new giant basal titanosaur sauropod in the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian) of the Neuquen Basin, Argentina. Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.03.008Â https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667118304816

Step aside Sue, the T rex. The attached article finally describes the largest T rex discovered from the Frenchmans Formation of Saskatchewan, Canada after being discovered in 1991 Abstract Here we describe an extremely large and relatively complete (roughly 65%) skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex (RSM P2523.8). Multiple measurements (including those of the skull, hip, and limbs) show that RSM P2523.8 was a robust individual with an estimated body mass exceeding all other known T. rex specimens and representatives of all other gigantic terrestrial theropods (Paywalled) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.24118#.XJQsTuqqy7k.twitter An Older and Exceptionally Large Adult Specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex W. Scott Persons IV, Philip J. Currie, Gregory M. Erickson First published: 21 March 2019, https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24118

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/ou-rrb031519.php https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app64/app005682018.pdf

I've taken a pretty firm position on the validity of Nanotyrannus ever since I spent some time looking at the Dueling Dinosaurs shortly after they were discovered. Subsequent to that, new information that I've become aware of just cemented my position. I'm interested in understanding the "truth" and have no problem looking at all available specimens that are in private hands or museums. The optics are very clear to me and I have difficulty understanding the debate. Collectors need to form their own opinion on this but I would like to share with you why I believe its a valid species. I present here several examples supporting my case, many others exist but will leave it at this. You always hear we need see sub-adult/baby specimens of Trex so a comparison can be make against Nanotyrannus claimed specimens. Shocking but some specimens do exist in institutions and private hands. Included in this discussion are a couple of examples of these specimens other are out there some in private hands and hopefully will be published. Case in point here is a jaw of a Baby T rex in private hands. Its only 35 cm wide. Paleontologists involved in this debate are very well aware of its existence. This cast is in my collection Top jaw: T rex (BHI6439), White jaw: Nanotyrannus (BMPR2002.4.2) Note that the length of the tooth row is nearly identical, Top jaw contains 12 circular alveloi typical of adult T rex's while the white jaw contains 17 rectangular alveloi typical of what is described as Nanotyrannus. Morphology of the teeth is classic for Trex: fat, oval and robust. Morphology of white jaws teeth is classic for Nanotyrannus: rectangular, lean and more gracile. There are a number of other morphological differences that Pete Larsen has identified with the jaws but the eye test should be enough for this discussion Compare the widths for both of these species, there is no comparison its pretty obvious how robust one is over the other. If the Jaws were not enough here are the arms and claws. Here is a sub-adult Trex arm (UCRC-PV1) housed at the University of Chicago (Paul Sereno). Paleontologists involved in this debate are very well aware of its existence. This is the only complete Trex arm and hand that has been found to date and articulated including the scapula and coracoid and partial skeleton including vertebrae. The bones including the claws compare well with those of known adult T rex and the vertebrae are about twice the size of Jane (Nanotyrannus) Every known bone from the hand of a Nanotyrannus is larger than and morphologically different from every known hand bone of adult or sub-adult T rex. I'm not aware of any other Tyrannosaurid where juvie and adult arms become smaller as the animal ages. Here is an sketch comparing the two to see how different the bones are. Pete Larsen also points out that "Animals do not change the orientation of semicircular canals, imbedded within solid bone, as they grow" Compare the long bone of Nanotyrannus with arrow to the one below on T rex Sue Sue - Carpal is much shorter and with a different morohology... Here is a comparison of a carpal digit I Wyrex (Top), Nanotyrannus (Middle), Sue (Bottom) Both Trex's have a larger bulge at the end of the bone. Very different morphology. You can argue ontogenetic changes but the robustness is present in the arm from above. Lets move on to the claws - Top T rex Digit I - Sue (Left), Digit II - Darwin (Right) (Darwin an adult Trex which was the commercial name its been recently sold to a Museum) Bottom Nanotyrannus - Digit I (Left), Digit II (Right) (BMRP 2006.4.4) Morphology is very different and Digt II of Darwin is very similar to that of the sub adult claw see below. Sub Adult Trex claw Digit II, 5 cm .. compares quite well to adult Darwin not Nanotyrannus Lots of the photos provided by Peter Larsen One last item to present is the Witmer Labs study on Tyrannosaurid braincases...it clearly demonstrates that there is a difference between T-rex and Nanotyrannus. Conclusion on the Cleveland "Nano" skull "Given the obvious closeness of CMNH 7541 and BMR P2002.4.1 "Jane", it would likely have been taxonomically decisive. Our data on CMNH 7541 may be taken as evidence for the validity of N. lancensis on the grounds that it is ‘‘too different’’ from T. rex. However, we are hesitant to argue that the debate over its status is settled for the simple reason of sample size. CMNH 7541 presents one specimen—one highly divergent specimen. Although we see no clear signs of distortion or pathology in the braincase, its divergent nature concerns us, and we maintain that the possibility remains that future discoveries will show CMNH 7541 to be aberrant. For that reason, we urge caution and continue to regard the specimen’s status as open" https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.20983 New Insights Into the Brain, Braincase, and Ear Region of Tyrannosaurs (Dinosauria, Theropoda), with Implications for Sensory Organization and Behavior Lawrence M. Witmer Ryan C. Ridgely First published: 26 August 2009 https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20983 It's unfortunate that the skeleton Jane does not have the two sketal areas discussed in this topic: Arms and Braincase. More reason for the Dueling Dinosaur Nanotyrannus to be studied. The End...

Does anyone have a copy of the following paper that I could read: Louise M V Meunier, Hans C E Larsson; Trematochampsa taqueti as a nomen dubium and the crocodyliform diversity of the Upper Cretaceous In Beceten Formation of Niger, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 182, Issue 3, 17 March 2018, Pages 659–680, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx061

Modeling ecological niches and climate gives a different estimate of dinosaur diversity prior to the mass extinction. Implies that differential fossilization accounts for the apparent decline https://m.phys.org/news/2019-03-dinosaurs-asteroid.html

Hey everyone, I am posting a pathological Prognathodon sp. tooth with 4 carinae and an odd slight indentation from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey. I would like to hear any thoughts about this pathology type and if anyone has seen anything similar. Tooth is 17/16 inches. Thanks! Joseph

https://phys.org/news/2018-12-horned-dinosaur-crittendenceratops-arizona.html

Hi TFF friends, how are you? I am great, thank you for asking Yesterday I had I went to my favorite late cretaceous spot after an almost 3 month long forced break. So I decided to hunt all day long and went to few different spots with quite a good haul ( for me at least). First I went to an old Quarry in Kumamoto were the middle part of the Himenoura formation is visible. I hunted there few times in the past years and found a lot of ammonite's aptichii, Inoceramus and plants fossils. One year ago, the site was black and there was no sign of vegetation but as time goes, vegetation grows and I had to go through a meter tall vegetation to access to the place. It was a good occasion to have a look flowers : and struggle with "バカ”'s seed, litterally meaning idiot in japanese (called beggar's ticks in english). Here is a picture of the formation at the quarry. I have been able to find there nice Glycymeris amakusensis and a very unusual plant fossil.

Hello, I live in Austin, TX, and my house sits on top of the Glen Rose formation from the late Cretaceous. I usually find bi-valve oyster shells and the like in my yard, but came across something bigger today that seems like it's from a non-invertebrate. Can anyone provide information on what this fossil might be? Thanks. Joe

hey everyone - hope you're all well Thought this was worth sharing - a description of a well-preserved enantiornithean bird specimen from the Late Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation of Utah. It represents a new genus and species, Mirarce eatoni. The specimen was originally collected in 1992, but it was only recently described (and published yesterday!). Atterholt et al. (2018). The most complete enantiornithine from North America and a phylogenetic analysis of the Avisauridae. PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.5910 Abstract: The most complete known North American enantiornithine was collected in 1992 but never formally described. The so-called “Kaiparowits avisaurid” remains one of the most exceptional Late Cretaceous enantiornithine fossils. We recognize this specimen as a new taxon, Mirarce eatoni (gen. et sp. nov.), and provide a complete anatomical description. We maintain that the specimen is referable to the Avisauridae, a clade previously only known in North America from isolated tarsometatarsi. Information from this specimen helps to clarify evolutionary trends within the Enantiornithes. Its large body size supports previously observed trends toward larger body mass in the Late Cretaceous. However, trends toward increased fusion of compound elements across the clade as a whole are weak compared to the Ornithuromorpha. The new specimen reveals for the first time the presence of remige papillae in the enantiornithines, indicating this feature was evolved in parallel to dromaeosaurids and derived ornithuromorphs. Although morphology of the pygostyle and (to a lesser degree) the coracoid and manus appear to remain fairly static during the 65 million years plus of enantiornithine evolution, by the end of the Mesozoic at least some enantiornithine birds had evolved several features convergent with the Neornithes including a deeply keeled sternum, a narrow furcula with a short hypocleidium, and ulnar quill knobs—all features that indicate refinement of theflight apparatus and increased aerial abilities. We conduct the first cladistic analysis to include all purported avisuarid enantiornithines, recovering an Avisauridae consisting of a dichotomy between North and South American taxa. Based on morphological observations and supported by cladistic analysis, we demonstrate Avisaurus to be paraphyletic and erect a new genus for “A. gloriae,” Gettyia gen. nov. here's the paper: Atterholt et al. Hope you like it! -Christian

Originally the specimen was collected as a concretion from upper Pierre Shale Formation near the lowest level of the Fox Hills Formation. The collection location is Cedar Creek about seven miles south of Glendive, Montana. The Date collected was Oct. 12, 2018. Later, I removed most of the concretion/matrix with diamond blade and bits. Two of the hoploscaphites spedeni were badly crushed and fractured during fossilization and are missing half of shells. During prep, I miscalculated the depth of cutting blade, slightly damaging the middle scaphites.

Hi everyone, I am wondering about the use of deflocculants in order to free fossils from matrix. I have a deflocculant called "Rewoquat," which is supposed to free fossils such as foraminifera, brachiopods, and echinoderms from matrix held together by clay. I'm wondering if it is okay to use on invertebrate and also vertebrate fossils. If anyone has any experience with it, please let me know how it went. If any chemical composition of this specific deflocculant is needed I can provide it. I am also curious about the use of Elmers glue on fossils (to stabilize the fossil/matrix). I know it is okay to use it on invertebrates, but is it a good idea to use it on vertebrates? Thanks for any help!

Preparation of 'Mukawaryu', a nearly complete ornithopod skeleton, has been completed! The specimen is originated from the marine Yezo Group of Hokkaido (Japanese island), a location/rock unit famed for numerous heteromorph (uncoiled) ammonites. http://www.geologypage.com/2018/09/japans-largest-complete-dinosaur-skeleton-comes-to-life.html Now research of this fascinating dinosaur specimen can finally begin! -Christian

A new ankylosaur-related paper has appeared online: Andrew T. McDonald; Douglas G. Wolfe (2018). A new nodosaurid ankylosaur (Dinosauria: Thyreophora) from the Upper Cretaceous Menefee Formation of New Mexico. PeerJ. 6: e5435. doi:10.7717/peerj.5435. Invictarx is the newest addition to a growing inventory of nodosaurid ankylosaurs from the Coniacian-early Campanian of western North America, but is the first to be found in terrestrial deposits in that interval, because Niobrarasaurus, Acantholipan, and Hierosaurus have been found in marine deposits.