dinodigger Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 So yeah I'm kinda excited. For the first time in a while I can post a new discovery that ISN'T Dimetrodon, not that I don't really enjoy finding Ddons... While prospecting a new part of the ranch, I found what appears to be an Edaphosaurus bone bed, which is completely unheard of in the entire Arroyo formation of the Permian. Could be on to something here. Only have two days on site so far, but we've accumulated a few hundred bones. Yeah. Edaphosaurus was a WEIRD guy. Big fin like his contemporary, Dimetrodon, but displaying odd branches that protrude at right angles from the primary fin spine. So odd. We can easily see him blending in with the sticks in his living space, to camo himself from the Ddons. Already seeing some very unusual features in the osteology. Caudal vertebrae are exceedingly thin front to back, compared to Ddon. Cervicals are much shorter. And then the neural spines. So much more robust. Geez this is going to be fun comparing the two. Also going to be the first time in recorded history that a community of Edaphosaurs has been described. We have a really wide range of individuals from baby to adult. Dang. I added a link to the photostream. Hope you enjoy. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45026327@N05/sets/72157646102971953/ Cheers, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Really cool! Any theories as to their demise? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Awesome find. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Really exciting. Keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ_Fossil_Collecta Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 you lucky, lucky, lucky guy. find a complete skeleton of each and re-position them in a classic dimetrodon-edaphosaurus battle. I'm CRAZY about amber fossils and just as CRAZY in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I really look forward to your updates now. It's great for us amateurs to be kept up to date on your discoveries. Have fun getting the community bones sorted out! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 These fin-backs are my favorite critters from the bag of plastic "dinosaurs" of my youth! Hard to figure how the Edaphosaurs persisted in the face of such fearsome predators; not being seen must have figured into the equation. "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...
jpc Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Very cool... thanks again for the update... Keep 'em coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPlainPetrified Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Yeah, that just spectacular! Keep us all posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinodigger Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Really cool! Any theories as to their demise? This is the question that haunts all us bone diggers. Why find a mass grave of Dimetrodons but no Edaphosaurs? Why find a mass grave of Daphy's but no D-dons??? Really can't answer it definitively but we have a few good clues. In our D-don site we have a zone just above the reptile graveyard that is full of orthacanthus shark teeth and the elusive aquatic amphibian Trimerorhachis, the latter of which we find no skeletons. None. Ziltch. Just teeth. In the Daphy graveyard we are seeing the same thing. A mass grave with a zone of shark and trimer teeth. What the heck is going on??? A flood event is possible. Dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinodigger Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 These fin-backs are my favorite critters from the bag of plastic "dinosaurs" of my youth! Hard to figure how the Edaphosaurs persisted in the face of such fearsome predators; not being seen must have figured into the equation. Yeah, these guys were living in segregated communities. No question about it. The daphys also seem to prefer the banks of stream channels. Daphy deposits all seem to be in channel sands, versus the dimetrodons in floodplain sediments. That doesn't mean the carnivores ventured out to nibble some daphy toes now and again, but were not seeing much evidence of it. Those prongs on the fin are definitely a way of hiding. Can see them blending in nicely with the ferns and sticks on the banks of the rivers. The big broadleaved Gigantopteris would have helped daphy blend in beautifully. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrian Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Really cool! Any theories as to their demise? This is the question that haunts all us bone diggers. Why find a mass grave of Dimetrodons but no Edaphosaurs? Why find a mass grave of Daphy's but no D-dons??? Really can't answer it definitively but we have a few good clues. In our D-don site we have a zone just above the reptile graveyard that is full of orthacanthus shark teeth and the elusive aquatic amphibian Trimerorhachis, the latter of which we find no skeletons. None. Ziltch. Just teeth. In the Daphy graveyard we are seeing the same thing. A mass grave with a zone of shark and trimer teeth. What the heck is going on??? A flood event is possible. Dunno. Sharknado? (Sorry, couldn't resist!) You have some amazing finds! I envy you that you're employed in a field that you love! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- John I had a friend once, but the wheels fell off. Sad, very sad. - Nightwing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinodigger Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Sharknado? (Sorry, couldn't resist!) You have some amazing finds! I envy you that you're employed in a field that you love! Sharknados in the Permian became more and more consistent as the period progressed. Fluctuating carbon dioxide levels and temperatures created monster shark-filled storms that ravaged the planet, and ultimately led the the great Permo-Triassic extinction. Permian sharks could reach speeds of over 400 miles per hour within the vortex of death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Someone's been spending a lot of time in the Texas sun... "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...
Bullsnake Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Yeah, because it should be 347.59 knots per hour! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrian Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Sharknados in the Permian became more and more consistent as the period progressed. Fluctuating carbon dioxide levels and temperatures created monster shark-filled storms that ravaged the planet, and ultimately led the the great Permo-Triassic extinction. Permian sharks could reach speeds of over 400 miles per hour within the vortex of death. roflol ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- John I had a friend once, but the wheels fell off. Sad, very sad. - Nightwing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Very cool! Congrats on the discovery. With a new discovery like this, will you start uncovering them asap, or do you have to wait and hope for more funding? I don't mean to be rude and i do not know how or if you're funded. I just know sometimes the funds dry up and awesome discoveries like this get left untouched, and are left to the elements to devour. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinodigger Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Very cool! Congrats on the discovery. With a new discovery like this, will you start uncovering them asap, or do you have to wait and hope for more funding? I don't mean to be rude and i do not know how or if you're funded. I just know sometimes the funds dry up and awesome discoveries like this get left untouched, and are left to the elements to devour. Great question; funding is indeed a wee bit rare in this field. Luckily we have adequate funding for the time being, as well as federal grants that support non-profits. The ranches I work with are also owned by some fantastic people that share the museum vision of education, as well as scientific research and preservation. They want to see their specimens out of the field and into good hands that will preserve and protect, and educate the public. The only problem we foresee is time. We have four bone beds we are working right now with only a few volunteers that have been properly trained in fieldwork practices. Typically, the beds are worked with at least myself or my assistant curator present, so getting out to each of the sites is very time consuming. We definitely document and collect material that is exposed. We too, don't want anything left for the elements to attack, but then again, after 287 million years, there's not a whole lot more mother nature can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bgoods55 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Awesome find sir! You have the dream job, keeps me motivated to see this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I am so puzzled by the possible function of the sail (the 'thermo regulation' theory just sounds contrived out of convenience). What if the crossbars on the Edaphosaur's neural spines didn't protrude, but were encased in (and helped to support) a thick, fleshy 'sail' (more like a grotesquely exaggerated hump)? It could then have stored fat and/or water, and still possibly influenced body temperature. What is the current thinking on this? "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...
dinodigger Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 I am so puzzled by the possible function of the sail (the 'thermo regulation' theory just sounds contrived out of convenience). What if the crossbars on the Edaphosaur's neural spines didn't protrude, but were encased in (and helped to support) a thick, fleshy 'sail' (more like a grotesquely exaggerated hump)? It could then have stored fat and/or water, and still possibly influenced body temperature. What is the current thinking on this? Hey Auspex, This is a evolutionary feature that will go down in history as one of the most bizarre, hands down. For now, thermoregulation is the going thoughts along with a display function to ward off permian evil-doers or attract that hot piece of pelycosaur pelvis... Daphy's we know for a fact were living on the edges of waterways; creeks, rivers, etc. Their bones are almost always found in channel sand deposits. Plus, we know what vegetation was growing there, and abundantly. We'd like to imagine the daphy's blending in with the sticks, the prong-adorned sail acting as camo. The thought of a massive muscle and fat covered sail has not slipped our mind though and has come more into focus this year because of some of our finds. So many of our D-Don fin spines run a trend of being pretty slender, but some of the grandis species have neural spines with thicknesses of baseball bats. Yikes. How the heck can a D-Don support a fin with THAT MUCH INVESTMENT in bone. The sheer amount of flesh holding those guys up must have been immense. I think (I THINK) the fins were much more massive than we perceive. I don't think they could had much of a purpose though. I am more inclined to keep my interpretations of the fin as simple as possible. 1. showing the other D-Dons whose boss with the mightyest, brightest colors. and 2. Cooling off. Those fin bones have some pretty spongey interior. Have to have been flooding those rods with blood. As far as a retainer for other bodily fluids or purposes, I haven't leaned that way just yet, but definitely not ruling it out. I'd like to think we'll know a heck of a lot more after we take out the Patty DDon with the baseball bat fin. Best, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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