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Mosasaur Scales Exposed Under UV Light


KansasFossilHunter

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I'm working on a really excellent mosasaur skull right now! I also read a 2014 publication by Johan Lindgren , Michael Caldwell, Takuya Konishi , and Luis Chiappe. In Convergent Evolution in Aquatic Tetrapods: Insights from an Exceptional Fossil Mosasaur they reveal some of the amazing details preserved on the famous Bonner Platecarpus specimen at LACM (LACM 128319) seen here:

 

5c21cedc8064e_ScreenShot2018-12-25at12_31_03AM.png.e21f36ad72706841e10fd68f38c0b081.png

 

Like the LACM specimen, my new skull seems to have the same sort of differential phosphatization / preservation (?) of the scale pattern. Here is a figure from the article:

 

Selected-soft-tissue-structures-in-the-head-and-neck-region-of-LACM-128319-A-Close-up.png.96f1d9b6b7a3c7a239bb07a07558f1d2.png

 

Here are a few pictures of the parietal on the skull I am working on now: 

 

IMG_6753.gif.ca514213d1e86482ea5af3a13b0dd8a9.gif

 

IMG_6761.thumb.jpg.f5439e9a0116e9cf108eabdfd47ad1d9.jpg

 

IMG_6765.thumb.jpg.913badf6d710d9a9c7b052b2753c9a43.jpg

 

 I promise I will share more pictures as the prep of this specimen continues!

 

Until then,

Merry Christmas!

 

-KS

 

 

 

 

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Excellent work, Kris! Looking forward to hearing more about this mosasaur research :) 

-Christian

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

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That’s really cool! A simple black light is such a nifty tool.

Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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Kris,  which type of black-light are you using.  I don't know much about black-lights, but I believe the ones you buy for Halloween ( and scorpions) are short wave, and others are long wave.  However I may have those mixed up.

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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That's a good question Ramo, I'm not actually sure which I'm using! I did slightly edit the contrast and lighting of these pictures. I'll have to take a look at the light and see if I can find anything. Visually, what's the difference between the two?

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I don't know exactly what the difference is.  I have heard that some things glow under one type and will not glow under the other. 

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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