MarcoSr Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 I found the below partial jaw with two molars several years ago in the Eocene Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Ken Rose studied the jaw and wrote a paper on it which was just published on-line by the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. With Covid it took a bit longer to get the paper on this jaw written and published. Here is the paper citation: Kenneth D. Rose, Jonathan M. G. Perry, Kristen A. Prufrock & Robert E. Weems (2021): Early Eocene Omomyid from the Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia: First Fossil Primate from the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI:10.1080/02724634.2021.1923340. Below is a link to an earlier thread on this partial jaw. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/110349-omomyid-primate-partial-jaw-from-the-eocene-of-virginia/ Two things I would like to point out about this partial jaw: 1) From the paper title: “First Fossil Primate from the Atlantic Coastal Plain”. 2) From the DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS of the paper: Considering its geographic separation from other known North American, as well as European, omomyids, it almost certainly represents a previously unknown species. However, in the absence of premolars (often the most diagnostic teeth in omomyids) or any other anterior teeth, or obvious derived molar traits, it would be premature to create a new taxon for this fragmentary specimen. These are my original pictures of the jaw (4 mm X 4 mm X 1.5 mm). The paper contains better ones. Marco Sr. 8 7 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Congratulations, and thanks for your generous support of the science. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Well done, sir! 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Excellent find and donation, Marco. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 The 'Micro King' strikes again! ;^) Well done, Sir! 1 "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 An intriguing fossil, Marco! Certainly a foundation for future discoveries. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Congratulations super find and I'm sure a welcomed addition to the Smithsonian. Boy all the times I collected in that deposit never heard of anyone finding this type of material. Very special. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Ape-solutely Amazing! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Hi, Congrats Marco ! Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Well done Marco! 1 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Finally! Glad to see this specimen's journey into the official record is complete. Very very very cool! Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted May 27, 2021 Author Share Posted May 27, 2021 8 hours ago, FossilDAWG said: Congratulations, and thanks for your generous support of the science. Don 8 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: Well done, sir! 7 hours ago, jpc said: Excellent find and donation, Marco. 7 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said: 5 hours ago, piranha said: Ape-solutely Amazing! 4 hours ago, Coco said: Hi, Congrats Marco ! Coco 1 hour ago, FossilNerd said: Well done Marco! Thank you for your comments. I’ve made over 210 trips to the Nanjemoy Formation over the last 25 years to collect matrix to search for microfossils. It is very gratifying to find a specimen like this omomyid jaw. Marco Sr. 7 hours ago, Auspex said: The 'Micro King' strikes again! ;^) Well done, Sir! Thank you. There are many scientifically important specimens to be found in the microfossil realm. Collectors just need to look for them. Marco Sr. 1 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted May 27, 2021 Author Share Posted May 27, 2021 5 hours ago, JohnJ said: An intriguing fossil, Marco! Certainly a foundation for future discoveries. Thank you. I just need to find an omomyid jaw piece with a premolar so the species can be named. Marco Sr. 5 hours ago, Troodon said: Congratulations super find and I'm sure a welcomed addition to the Smithsonian. Boy all the times I collected in that deposit never heard of anyone finding this type of material. Very special. Thank you. Terrestrial mammal specimens are exceptionally rare in the Nanjemoy Formation which was a near shore marine environment. I’ve been lucky to have found two partial terrestrial mammal jaws that had scientific value. Marco Sr. 25 minutes ago, digit said: Finally! Glad to see this specimen's journey into the official record is complete. Very very very cool! Cheers. -Ken Thank you. Yeah, I had to ask a TFF administrator to remove that original TFF post on this specimen that I made several years ago until the paper could be written and published. Marco Sr. 1 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 Very nice and scientifically important specimen! I saw colleagues tweeting excitedly about this earlier today and wondered if it had originated here in this community....glad to see it did! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 10 hours ago, jdp said: Very nice and scientifically important specimen! I saw colleagues tweeting excitedly about this earlier today and wondered if it had originated here in this community....glad to see it did! Thank you. I was lucky that I know Dr. Ken Rose and that he was willing to look at the jaw. Otherwise, the jaw still would be in one of my gem jar displays without me knowing what it was. Marco Sr. 2 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 8 hours ago, MarcoSr said: I was lucky that I know Dr. Ken Rose and that he was willing to look at the jaw. Otherwise, the jaw still would be in one of my gem jar displays without me knowing what it was. A prime example of the value of amateur and professional paleontologists working together for the common good. As has been stated countless times, there are many more amateurs who have significantly more time and effort available to them. This enables them the opportunity to encounter these rarities--the winning lottery tickets of the fossil world. How many other scientifically important specimens are languishing unrecognized in amateur collections? Cultivating a working relationship with professionals provides the pathway to allow these SIS to find their way into the hands of researchers who have the ability to use it to expand our fossil knowledge. While it is great having access to professionals who are experts in various fossil specialties, it takes considerable avocational fossil knowledge to know when a fossil is unusual enough that it should be brought to the attention of someone with deeper knowledge on the off chance that could be something important. Marco is very familiar with the fossils coming out of the Nanjemoy Formation and thus was able to quickly recognize that this specimen was an oddity that it was worthy to show to someone with deeper knowledge. Cheers. -Ken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 12 hours ago, digit said: A prime example of the value of amateur and professional paleontologists working together for the common good. As has been stated countless times, there are many more amateurs who have significantly more time and effort available to them. This enables them the opportunity to encounter these rarities--the winning lottery tickets of the fossil world. How many other scientifically important specimens are languishing unrecognized in amateur collections? Cultivating a working relationship with professionals provides the pathway to allow these SIS to find their way into the hands of researchers who have the ability to use it to expand our fossil knowledge. While it is great having access to professionals who are experts in various fossil specialties, it takes considerable avocational fossil knowledge to know when a fossil is unusual enough that it should be brought to the attention of someone with deeper knowledge on the off chance that could be something important. Marco is very familiar with the fossils coming out of the Nanjemoy Formation and thus was able to quickly recognize that this specimen was an oddity that it was worthy to show to someone with deeper knowledge. Cheers. -Ken Ken I have very good relationships, built up over the years, with a good number of researchers with different areas of expertise. However, I only send them very good pictures of specimens that I know are very unusual or unique from the different formations that I collect. As a result, when they get pictures from me, they look at them. Unfortunately a lot of amateur collectors send tons of very bad pictures of really common stuff to these researchers, and then they are very disappointed by the researchers' lack of interest. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 Yup. I'm sure Richard Hulbert sees a truckload of dugong rib bone photos each year and it likely gets tiresome replying to these (or he has a great stock answer written up that he can copy and paste). Having the modicum of knowledge to know when you've got something that is not run of the mill and only sending images of the true novelties will definitely get you better and more timely replies from the subject matter experts. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Stupendous find! Congratulations on your worthy donation to the Smithsonian and to science. Here, here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted May 31, 2021 Author Share Posted May 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Jeffrey P said: Stupendous find! Congratulations on your worthy donation to the Smithsonian and to science. Here, here! Thank you. Dr. Rose is making 3-D printed copies from the specimen and will send me one. I've never seen a 3-D printed copy before in person, so I'm really looking forward to receiving it. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Very cool! Post photos (which I know you will) when you get your 3D copy. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfossilcollector Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Congratulations on a remarkable find! Magnificent contribution! Just amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted June 2, 2021 Author Share Posted June 2, 2021 9 hours ago, bcfossilcollector said: Congratulations on a remarkable find! Magnificent contribution! Just amazing! Thank you. I'm just glad that the paper is finally published. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 On 5/31/2021 at 12:28 PM, digit said: Very cool! Post photos (which I know you will) when you get your 3D copy. Cheers. -Ken Below are pictures of the two 3D prints of the Omomyid left dentary that I received from Dr. Ken Rose. Both 3D prints of the omomyid jaw (the original size print, 3.5mm diameter by 9mm high, and the 10X print, 1.5 inches diameter by 1 inch high.): Close-up of the original size print: I made up a picture collage display from the pictures in the paper of the jaw to hang on my wall next to my two other new species displays of specimens from the Eocene, Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia. Note, I intentionally made the displays look different from each other. Omomyid left dentary: Peradectes gulottai: Eostrix gulottai: Marco Sr. 1 2 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now