FossilDudeCO Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 This is a huge announcement I have to make. It has been under wraps for quite a few months now and some of you may recall my damselfly find from the July 2017 Fossil of the Month contest. Well a HUGE thanks is in order for @oilshale for pointing me in the direction of one of his friends to help identify this beautiful specimen. Turns out this is not just a new species, or even genus, but an entirely new FAMILY that will soon be published!!! This damselfly will be labeled as the type specimen (Holotype) for the Family, Genus, AND Species. I donated this beautiful bug to my friends over at Fossil Butte National Monument where staff has been working to catalogue and name many of their unidentified insect specimens. This Damselfly will be a great addition for them as they build a new exhibit focused on insects of the Green River in the next year or so. This bug was a very special find for me, and knowing that it was going to be the type specimen adds even more to it. I haven't been able to post this in part because it was meant as a Christmas present for my wife. She was speechless to find out that the species will be named after her. I have no idea how I will ever up myself from this, but here's to trying. This has definitely been a highlight in my fossil career and I can't imagine ever finding another type specimen. I am happy to know that you all will share in my excitement and when the paper is finally published I will make sure to share it here as well! Attached is a copy of the letter from Fossil Butte National Monument, edited of course, and if you read it you will see why! 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 That is amazing, Blake! Way to go!! And what a fantastic present and honour for your missus. You've kicked off 2018 with a big bang, and this is an inspiration for all of us who split rock in the field. And perhaps you shouldn't worry about topping this amazing contribution to paleontology, for it may be like winning prizes where when you win one, your chances of winning again just go up! Chapeau, sir! ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Awesome, Blake. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Awesome Blake. I am very happy for you. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Geepers, is that all it was, I was hoping for some exciting news. Wow, really proud of you Blake. Now keep it in a drawer and don't let anybody see it. You must be one proud papa! Congratulations!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 This is truly fantastic news! I'm really looking forward to seeing the paper. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Outstanding, wow that is super, congratulations, really special. Your wife must be thrilled, what a treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinosaurus Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 AMAZING news!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heteromorph Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 WOW! Congratulations! A new species is exciting enough, but a new family is astonishing! I wonder when the last time was that a new family was discovered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelivingdead531 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 That is amazing and so sweet to name it after your wife, she’s a lucky lady! Congrats on the wonderful news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Wow!! That is too cool! Congratulations, Blake, and Thank You. ~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...
Macrophyseter Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Congrats Blake! Pretty awesome that you single-handily made the revealing of an entire FAMILY of animals possible. I really wonder how much of a heart attack your wife got when you told her that they were gonna name the species after her... If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 32 minutes ago, FossilDudeCO said: I haven't been able to post this in part because it was meant as a Christmas present for my wife. She was speechless to find out that the species will be named after her. I have no idea how I will ever up myself from this, but here's to trying. I've been working for decades to try to lower the bar with my wife, better half, and collecting partner (all one and the same). Much easier to top yourself if you set the bar a 'limbo height'. Congrats on the find, the donation, and the accolades! Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Congratulations, Blake! Well Done, sir! 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...
Coco Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Hi, Whouah ! What a magnificent way of beginning the year ! Already to find a new species would return any happy fossil hunter, a new genus would transport every paleontologist in a hallucinating journey, but a new family ! It is beyond my imagination ! All my congrats Blake ! Can't wait to read the paper ! Coco ---------------------- 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...
ynot Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Ditto!!! To what everyone else has said. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 What a great find Blake! Thumbs up to you and your contribution to science! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thanks for the kind words everyone. Being a fish guy my first response to the find was "Eh, its a pretty nice bug." But the more I have learned about these guys the more I am coming to love them! I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would find such a fantastic and scientifically important fossil. I can't wait for the 2018 digging year to commence! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Fantasic, Blake! We are all so happy for you. That awesome damselfly has a lot of proud uncles and aunts on this forum. Happy new year indeed! Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Holy smokes, Blake! That is spectacular! Very Happy New Year, indeed. Let us as soon as it is published. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-fossils Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Wow Blake, this is an extraordinary find!!! My most sincerest congratulations!!! You must feel incredibly proud and happy to have made such an addition to science. By the way, is this (part of) the reason why you have been absent from the forum recently, or is it because of something else? Because I (and other people) sure missed you a lot! Max Max Derème "I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day." - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier Instagram: @world_of_fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 20 minutes ago, Max-fossils said: By the way, is this (part of) the reason why you have been absent from the forum recently, or is it because of something else? Because I (and other people) sure missed you a lot “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Ditto to what everybody else said! Absolutely incredible find!! I'm very happy for you! Happy new year too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 A very Happy New year! Congratulations, that is the sort of present we all dream of. And our wives, too. Magnificent! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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