Psittacosaurus brood

[Crazyhen]

This is a brood of psittacosaurus.  It measures about 45cm in length for the matrix.  It is from Liaoning Province of China.  Do you think it is genuine?

[Praefectus]

I'm not sure about this specimen. I think that it may be a combination of real fossil and fabricated sections. Maybe try giving these topics a read. They cover similar material. Hopefully someone else can chime in. 

 

 

[Troodon]

I dont believe one can properly assess how much of this group is a composite with these photos.  You really need to have a hands on examination.  Just how the bones have been prepped out of matrix is a red flag.

 

This is a nest you can look at natural Psittacosaurus mortality plate.. scale bar 100mm 

 

[Troodon]

 a better one to  compare against.  Look at rib placement and ilia. Not neat and orderly as in your specimen.

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3079

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

11 hours ago, Troodon said:

 HeIliad better one to  compare against.  Look at rib placement and ilia. Not neat and orderly as in your specimen.

 

The difference could still be due to variations in depositional circumstances, though, couldn't it? There are way more specimens in the piece from Nature too, which would certainly decrease the chance of all bodies being preserved in full anatomical position.

 

On the whole, though, I do agree that it seems likely the bones have been repositioned. I'm not familiar enough with this kind of material (that is, neither dinosaurian remains nor the site of provenance) to say with any certainty, but repositioning wouldn't necessarily rule out the bones being authentic and from the same find. I know from Holzmaden, for example (an area I'm much more familiar with), that bones are frequently repositioned on original matrix and without artificial additions: that is, a completely original fossil, just re-arranged to be more aesthetically pleasing. Couldn't the same be going on here? Then again, you may of course ask yourself whether or not such re-arranging is desirable: the piece becomes less natural and looses part of its palaeontological context...

[Troodon]

2 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

The difference could still be due to variations in depositional circumstances, though, couldn't it? There are way more specimens in the piece from Nature too, which would certainly decrease the chance of all bodies being preserved in full anatomical position.

Agree if this was not from China.  I've see dozens of these type of assemblages at shows and most all were composited.  Why my first two statements were " I dont believe one can properly assess how much of this group is a composite with these photos.  You really need to have a hands on examination."