DatFossilBoy Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Hey Guys, I was offered this piece from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, which have Jurassic deposits. I’m not sure what it could be… a sauropod scute maybe? No idea. What do you guys think? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Are you sure it's dinosaur/terrestrial/of the right age/etc., because I'm not seeing any bone structure, so that, if it were not for the patterning, I'd almost say this looks geological. With the patterning I'm wondering if this could not be some kind of (marine) trace fossil. I could be completely wrong, of course, but that's my first impression... 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Cool item. There are many different Atlas deposits that contain dinosaur material unfortunately very little is published, and little is known. It does not match up with anything I'm aware of. Do you have a photo of the other side and do you have a locality to see if it consistent with other finds. We have a Jurassic Ankylosaur Spicomellus afer that has spines on its ribs but clueless if it has osteoderms and what they look like. Its already a very unusual Ankylosaurid. Why the locality might be important. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatFossilBoy Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 Thanks guys I’ll try to get back to you with more pictures and info. Appreciate the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatFossilBoy Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 Locality is Azilal, Morocco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 That's a new locality on me but not anywhere near where they found the Ankylosaur or Stegosaur. Still would like to see the other side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 3 hours ago, Troodon said: We have a Jurassic Ankylosaur Spicomellus afer that has spines on its ribs but clueless if it has osteoderms and what they look like. Its already a very unusual Ankylosaurid. I briefly considered this as well, though I dismissed it thinking the spikes were the only armoured defence this species had... Also, the fossil has a lot more relief than I've seen on the few limited ankylosaur and sauropod osteoderms I've seen... 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 37 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: I briefly considered this as well, though I dismissed it thinking the spikes were the only armoured defence this species had... Also, the fossil has a lot more relief than I've seen on the few limited ankylosaur and sauropod osteoderms I've seen... That Ankylosaur still could have osteoderms along with the spikes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Here is Gastonia from Utah its a little of everything 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Not that I've been following it with any measure of detail, as, dinosaurs, so not really my area. But I thought the argument was that Spicomellus afer was either ancestral to or close to the split between thyreophoran dinosaurs and that, since it's spikes were directly attached to its ribs, it's postulated to look somewhat in between of an ankylosaur and stegosaur as well - that is, no osteoderms in the mix yet...? 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Yes but since very little material was discovered anything is possible, not ruling anything out from Morocco 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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