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A Cautionary Tale of Snow, Mud and Bear Tracks in Colorado


Crusty_Crab

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Making the most of the last of my unplanned leave from work, I decided to make a trip to the Eocene Upper Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation in Colorado. Unfortunately, the road was not plowed and there was isolated patches of snow on the ground:

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I decided to walk the 5 miles to the site anyway through snow, slush and mud., although other parts seemed clear and pleasant

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Mostly, it looked like this though. I didn't count on the extra effort it takes to walk through hilly landscape with slush and mud, which made the walk seem longer than it was.

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The payoff for the trudge was..

 

 

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Of course, I had to return the next day. Walking along the same road, there were fresh tracks:

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Pretty cool, they look like turkey tracks?

 

Walking further, uh oh

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Pretty sure thats a bear track and an equally large canine. My US size 9.5 footprints are at the bottom for scale. Luckily, it was headed perpendicular to my path and seemed to be headed off into a distant valley. 

 

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excellent cricket.  I think the bird tracks are too small for a turkey.  We have turkeys in my neighborhood and in the snow, their footprints are huge.  Grouse is my guess.  As for the bear... yup that's a black bear.  

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@aek, @NMFOSSILS99, @jpc Thanks!

 

@aek Yep, I was totally not expecting to encounter any traces of a bear. During the warmer months the road is pretty regularly used by recreational users so I'm sure the animals are far away then.

 

@jpc Good to know, I don't see grouse or bears a whole lot in suburban California so the tracks were a neat discovery.  

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On 4/27/2021 at 11:05 PM, Crusty_Crab said:

A plate with a cricket and damselfly!

 

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That's a very nice insect, it was worth the effort.

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"On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

"We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes."

 

In memory of Doren

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I suppose I would trudge 5 miles in the snow for that fossil.... :zzzzscratchchin:   but I know what you mean, it does require more effort!

Did you find anything the 2nd day (or at any time)?

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5 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I suppose I would trudge 5 miles in the snow for that fossil.... :zzzzscratchchin:   but I know what you mean, it does require more effort!

Did you find anything the 2nd day (or at any time)?

 

Yes, but nothing as charismatic or large. I find them interesting but I understand that fossil insects don't usually get much respect from others. 

All of the following are no bigger than 2 mm. 

 

Hemipteran, possibly a Reduviid (assassin bug)?

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I'm leaning towards a mosquito since it has plumose antennae and I think thats the proboscis extending from the head:

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Some sort of fly, the family is beyond me, but great detail preserved:

IMG_5631-2.thumb.jpg.e8e3471b947ddb4337a211d707e87421.jpg

 

a planthopper or leafhopper:

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Lastly a wasp with a pollen cone?

IMG_5634.thumb.JPG.8f8791736665a716e50afbb48ac90a9e.JPG

 

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Nice ones! I don't know why fossil insects wouldn't get much respect... they do from me, and I think from a lot of others here.

Did you mean 2cm?  2mm would indicate exceptional preservation (and photography)!

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6 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Nice ones! I don't know why fossil insects wouldn't get much respect... they do from me, and I think from a lot of others here.

Did you mean 2cm?  2mm would indicate exceptional preservation (and photography)!

 

I think its because they're so small, you really need a quality hand loupe to appreciate them in the field, otherwise they resemble carbonized smudges. The other problem is that the identification of insects devolves to the smallest of structures, which don't necessarily get preserved or are at an odd angle. Consequently, the best ID that can be provided is "indeterminate (order)" or family if you're lucky, which isn't as satisfying. However, if there is an appetite for them, I'll post more. 

 

Sorry, I meant to put a range. They range from 2mm to around 10 mm, which is the size of the wasp.  

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56 minutes ago, jpc said:

I love the color pattern preservation in some of these, esp that assassin bug(?).  

 

Yes, I noticed that too, which is why I was attracted to these as there are many instances of color patterning, such as the fore and midlegs of the cricket. I've also noticed that Reduviids are commonly strikingly patterned red or orange. That seems counterintuitive being predators, since predators usually do not like to stand out. My theory is that they inhabit a unique niche, whereby they are predators to other insects, but are small enough to be predated upon by larger animals. They are red because insects generally don't see in the long wavelength spectrum (red) and so would not see it coming. Birds and mammals do, and it might serve as a warning to us not to bother it, as it can deliver a nasty bite. 

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Beautiful views of the landscape and really fantastic bugs! I would be delighted to have either one, thank you so much for sharing. 

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2 hours ago, Crusty_Crab said:

 

Yes, I noticed that too, which is why I was attracted to these as there are many instances of color patterning, such as the fore and midlegs of the cricket. I've also noticed that Reduviids are commonly strikingly patterned red or orange. That seems counterintuitive being predators, since predators usually do not like to stand out. My theory is that they inhabit a unique niche, whereby they are predators to other insects, but are small enough to be predated upon by larger animals. They are red because insects generally don't see in the long wavelength spectrum (red) and so would not see it coming. Birds and mammals do, and it might serve as a warning to us not to bother it, as it can deliver a nasty bite. 

I have just learned a ton about this family of bugs.  The color patterns are one of my favorite aspects of the Parachute Creek insects.  They can be just soooo cool.  

 

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This thread best demonstrates why I fossil hunt/research for work the convoluted way I do.

 

Excitement without adventure!

 

Great find. Even better journey!

 

My mobile lab will be done mid-June...after that I can only hope I can experience a trip like this!

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8 hours ago, Crusty_Crab said:

However, if there is an appetite for them, I'll post more. 

Yes please! I’m hungry for more bugs! :drool:
 

Great finds. Well worth the hike. 

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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@deutscheben Thanks!

 

@jpc Glad you found it informative, they're a really cool (and kind of scary) family of bugs.

 

@LabRatKing Thanks! Do you have a picture/description of your mobile lab setup? I was actually daydreaming that it might be cool to convert an RV to one and just park it at a field spot. 

 

@FossilNerd Glad to hear that there's interest in insects, looks like I've found the right place!

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On 4/30/2021 at 8:55 AM, Crusty_Crab said:

 

Yes, but nothing as charismatic or large. I find them interesting but I understand that fossil insects don't usually get much respect from others. 

All of the following are no bigger than 2 mm. 

 

Hemipteran, possibly a Reduviid (assassin bug)?

IMG_5627-2.thumb.jpg.b1ff0e4be9e589188bf8c9798e06f1c3.jpg

 

I'm leaning towards a mosquito since it has plumose antennae and I think thats the proboscis extending from the head:

IMG_5556-2.thumb.jpg.3595a61027b7db58d6b7fb9db38c3d81.jpg

 

Some sort of fly, the family is beyond me, but great detail preserved:

IMG_5631-2.thumb.jpg.e8e3471b947ddb4337a211d707e87421.jpg

 

a planthopper or leafhopper:

IMG_5632-2.thumb.jpg.65a74293453256192a5e200bbedbcb5c.jpg

 

Lastly a wasp with a pollen cone?

IMG_5634.thumb.JPG.8f8791736665a716e50afbb48ac90a9e.JPG

 

Those bugs are incredible, i love them.

theme-celtique.png.bbc4d5765974b5daba0607d157eecfed.png.7c09081f292875c94595c562a862958c.png

"On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

"We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes."

 

In memory of Doren

photo-thumb-12286.jpg.878620deab804c0e4e53f3eab4625b4c.jpg

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