paule Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 Hi all, I have just had a read through all the information for new members when submitting new fossils for identification. I will do my best to try and cover all the items listed and hope it helps anyone to identify my 2 fossils. The two pictures are indeed high-res images so that’s a good start. However, first off, I purchased these two fossils from a large estate sale. There were a number of other fossils available but these two were the most majestic which caught my eye as they looked quite bizarre and unusual to me. They are mounted on perspex. Sadly, since they were from an estate sale, there was zero paperwork available and no one at the auction house could assist with identification. I have done a bit of research (thanks Google) but couldn’t pinpoint any dino fossils that even looked similar to these ones. I did suspect Mesosaurs but the head just doesn’t look quite right. I also do not know if both fossils are of the same species. I am located in Australia, however that in no ways implies these fossils are Australian. The estate sale included items from the US, UK, Africa, Peru, Europe and everywhere else. Whoever the estate belonged to had an impressive collection. Here are some measurement for the 2 fossils. Photo 1 (with the head and beak pointing upwards): Head to Tail Length: 650mm Width at widest part of the body: 60mm Head and beak length: 50mm Tail Only length: 320mm Body Only Length: 200mm Photo 2: Head to Tail Length: 520mm Width at widest part of the body: 50mm Head and beak length: 60mm Tail Only length: 250mm Body Only Length: 240mm In any case, any help with IDing who these 2 little fellas are would be very much appreciated. Anyone else think it’s a Mesosaurs? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 I agree, these look like Mesosaurus sp. 2 1 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...
FranzBernhard Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 (edited) Welcome to TFF from Austria, your tiny sibling at the other side of the globe . Its a real pity that there is no documentation associated with them. It would have been very easy and unobtrusive to glue "something" on the back site of the specimen. 5 hours ago, paule said: Whoever the estate belonged to had an impressive collection. Sorry, it isn´t impressive and also not really a collection. Just a pile of, well,... Without "some" documentation, nearly everything is nearly worthless (scientifically and monetary). Franz Bernhard Edited June 10, 2022 by FranzBernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paule Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: I agree, these look like Mesosaurus sp. Quite possibly, but I feel Mesosaurus had more of a triangular head, these seems to have almost a 'beak' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paule Posted June 10, 2022 Author Share Posted June 10, 2022 17 minutes ago, FranzBernhard said: Welcome to TFF from Austria, your tiny sibling at the other side of the globe . Its a real pity that there is no documentation associated with them. It would have been very easy and unobtrusive to glue "something" on the back site of the specimen. Sorry, it isn´t impressive and also not really a collection. Just a pile of, well,... Without "some" documentation, nearly everything is nearly worthless (scientifically and monetary). Franz Bernhard Yes, sadly there is no documentation. I just would love to know what dino's these are, I'm not concerned about their worth. Also, when I referred to an 'impressive collection' I was referring to the 1000+ items that were included in the entire estate sale. I wasn't referring to these 2 items. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 8 hours ago, paule said: Quite possibly, but I feel Mesosaurus had more of a triangular head, these seems to have almost a 'beak' The position of the head is what is causing your confusion here. They look like they were ventrally preserved, (Belly up) . You are looking at the underside of the jaws, hence the "beak-like" appearance. Also, there is no way to know from the photos if pieces were missing, or if there is more under the matrix, etc. 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...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now