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Hell Creek Fossil ID Help - Triceratops Frill, Squamosal skull fragment, or fish?
MuseumofBioNotreDame posted a topic in Fossil ID
Dimensions: To begin, the specimen is 36cm long, 19cm wide at the base (widest point), and about 7cm thick at the thickest point (base). Background: I am a student doing research in the Museum of Biodiversity at Notre Dame. I have begun a project to try to identify many of the fossils in the collection. Many years ago, there was a faculty member who was a paleontologist who collected specimens for many years, most of which now reside in the museum. The issue is that he passed away suddenly and left many fossils without much or any information attached. From what I have been able to gather, most of his fossils have come from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana (66-65 mya, late Cretaceous), due to all of his fossils in field jackets coming from this location (like this one, that I removed from the jacket). All other jackets (that are currently opened) in the museum contain remnants of a triceratops. There are many more that have not been opened from the field, which I believe were collected in the mid 1990s (unimportant). Because of the ambiguous nature of the fossil and my inexperience with fossils (I have just started exploring the field). I am the only person in the museum who has touched the fossils in at least 5-7 years, as there is no full-time geologist or paleontologist on faculty at ND, and the collection is solely taken care of by students who have interests. Identification?: When I first started working on the fossil, it was labelled with an identification as "Fish?". I have absolutely no idea who tentatively identified it as such, and in looking at it, I have no idea what led them to the conclusion. I, personally, do not see anything fish-like about it, sans the vague shape resemblance. Because of this, and my suspicions about where it was found and what other fossils are found at Hell Creek, I thought that it was unlikely a fish. From the concentration of ceratopsidae that are found in the formation and the amount that we have in the museum, I started to explore the possibilities of it being a part of one. Because the museum also has other parts of the same triceratops skull such as two horns, the beak, and one small skull fragment. I first thought that it may be a frill, due to the lines that I thought might be blood lines, which are found on most frill fragments, but the patterns appeared to be different (see photo 2). I then looked into other parts of the skull that might fit this fossil fragment. Following this, and based on the ridge that runs along what I assume to be the back of the specimen, I theorized that the it may be a piece of the squamosal bone morphology of the skull of a ceratopsian. Also, because there are parts of an ankylosauridae in the museum, I thought that it may be an armor fragment. Please know that these preliminary identifications are based on my limited knowledge of the morphology of late Cretaceous animals, and the lack of information I have on this specific fossil. Any help will be appreciated, and I will be looking closely to respond any questions on the subject. Lastly: As I am beginning in the subject of paleontology, where do you suggest that I can get my information? Are there any preferred resources, textbooks, or databases where I can increase my knowledge? Thank you for your help, and I look forward to learning more and maybe eventually contributing to the Fossil Forum when I learn more in the future. I have been using the one textbook in the museum dealing with fossils of these sort, where I read about the frills and skull morphology of ceratopsidae: Romer, Alfred S. (1966). Vertebrate Paleontology. The University of Chicago Press. -
Hello from the Museum of Biodiversity at the University of Notre Dame!
MuseumofBioNotreDame posted a topic in Member Introductions
I am a student working on the fossils in the museum!- 11 replies
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2 cm Long tooth Found in hells creek South Dakota. Any idea what it is?
prehistoricpeasant posted a topic in Fossil ID
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Hi there everyone! I recently came across a listing for what is described as a partial Edmontosaurus toe bone and I thought it would be a unique addition to my collection. The specimen’s description says it was found in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana which is pretty commonplace with this seller, but I attempted to get in contact with the seller to try and get more information about the fossil (exact locality, how they IDd the specimen, etc.) and they unfortunately never responded. I was wondering if any of y’all would give it a look and give some of your own opinions. I’d love to see what y’all think about it! Also once again, thank you all for all of the help, you guys are awesome!
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I was given this very small piece of ?mandibular bone. Any help would be appreciated in id. it is approximately 12-14 mm in length, 4 mm in height and maybe 2 mm on the dental surface from the hells creek formation in montana.
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Hello, I have a what I believe are a few different vertebrate that were found in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. They were all found in different locations within a few mile radius. From left to right you can refer to them as fossil a, b, and c. Any help on the ID would be appreciated. Sorry about the multiple ID questions but I'm excited to find out what I have found. Thanks in advance. Nic
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- montana
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