Massive discovery needs verification

[doushantuo]

Yes JJ is perfectly right. Innate respect is at the core of what makes this forum tick!! 

[Ihopeitsnotarock]

[Ihopeitsnotarock]

If you could give it one more look I’d be really grateful thanks

[doushantuo]

Ihope,

Your latest batch does not seem to contain vertebrate fossils recognizable as such, or that would be recognized as such by a statistically significant sample of vertebrate paleoanatomist.

 

 

[Ihopeitsnotarock]

Thanks anyway I appreciate the feedback 

[doushantuo]

Listen, you are out and about,and the possibility of genuinely finding something is always there.

Enjoy the moment, enjoy your pastime, enjoy life.

Don't let this get you down, keep at it.

If you want pointers on vertebrate fossil, just give the word.

[Mahnmut]

Hello again Ihopeitsnotarock,

I can only agree that there are no vertebrate fossils to be seen in your pics.

There are two more thoughts I would like to share:

1. I understand its frustrating that you did not get an Answer from the Museum,

but if you really had made a discovery of the scale you think it is, just hauling away loads of samples would not be the way to go, because it could seriously damage the scientific value of the site.

2. About all of us had moments when we thought we found something special that turned out to be something different. I sure did.

But the amount of effort and conviction you put into this against all probability makes me wonder if you are doing OK. Are there people you can talk to in person? Not only at the Museum, but in general? I fear you are getting carried away with this.

Best regards,

J

[Fin Lover]

5 hours ago, Ihopeitsnotarock said:

If you could give it one more look I’d be really grateful thanks

Looking at them, I honestly can't even tell what you are seeing.  Sometimes, a rock has a very suggestive shape where you can see why someone would think it was a tooth, for example.  I'm sorry but, with these, I can't even tell which ones you are thinking are skulls, or snakes, or verts, etc.  They all just look like regular rocks to me (not very suggestive ones). 

[digit]

5 hours ago, Ihopeitsnotarock said:

I have returned with Atleast one good vertebrae to indicate a species, I know it’s hard to see with these photos but it’s the best I can do for a moment,

there are partial vertebrae present in the pics above but my camera is just really rubbish. There are petrified heads at the site ranging in size from the one I posted to around 6-8 feet in length, the vertebrae for which I couldn’t pick up as they were around 18 inches wide but still had a crocodilian shape. 

I am living in South Wales and the site in Barry island is known for excellent marine fossils. It’s almost an entire island of petrified marine animals in Carboniferous lime stone and mud rock as far as I can tell.

here are some more samples including vertebrae.

Many people new to fossils think that heads "petrify" with soft tissue, skin, eyes, etc. all preserved in the 3D appearance they had in life--sadly, this does not happen (but it would make paleontology even more interesting).

 

You mention that the collection area is made up of Carboniferous limestone--that matches what we are seeing in your rocks. Keep in mind that the earliest known reptiles date from the very late Carboniferous and were tiny lizardlike animals not nearly the size of large crocodilians or snakes which evolved much much later. Part of helping to narrow down the ID of actual fossils is knowing the age of the rocks and what types of plants/animals were around at that time.

 

Your camera is doing its job well enough for us to clearly see the objects you are finding. You are simply mistaking the shapes you are seeing in the rocks for what you imagine "petrified" animals might look like. It would help you greatly to learn what the actual fossil material looks like in your area. I'd politely suggest that you look into local clubs and groups that like collecting minerals and fossils and see if you can absorb some of the local knowledge which will be very helpful if you'd like to learn about (and collect) the types of fossils that actually occur in your area. A quick internet search turned up this link which might be a good starting point:

 

https://ukfossils.co.uk/category/wales-north/

 

As mentioned above, we do not "laugh at" condescend, or otherwise belittle other members here on this forum. We believe in polite (though sometimes spirited) conversation here on this forum and we leave the drama and chaos to other types of social media. Our objective here is to spread information about fossils and chat about our shared passion. We see posts very similar to ours here on virtually a weekly basis. Sometimes those members accept that the rocks they bring to the forum are simply rocks and are not the fossils they imagined and they stick around to learn more about actual fossils. Other times, without getting the confirmation of their (incorrect) assumption, they accuse us of conspiring to discount their unique find and they depart the forum to seek confirmation elsewhere. Your local rocks mostly contain fossils common in the Carboniferous: brachiopods, corals, crinoids, etc. and that is what you will find (you may have already collected a columnal segment from a crinoid as someone has noticed above). You will not find crocodilians nor a Titanoboa. I know the guys who discovered Titanboa and so far that 40+ foot long snake is only known from a single locality in Colombia. It occurs in rocks that are approximately 300 million years younger than the Carboniferous limestone in Wales.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Tidgy's Dad]

I went to Barry Island a few times with my family, many decades ago, and though I was mainly collecting modern seashells from the beach on those visits, I do recall perusing some sections of Early Carboniferous Limestone to see what was to be found. I don't remember actually collecting anything, I didn't have my hammer with me and I remember that the rock was pretty hard and preservation often not the best. But I saw brachiopods, crinoid columnals and corals, as mentioned above. 

I think there are also Triassic rocks on Barry, but I think they're pretty unfossiliferous. 

Edited May 25, 2023 by Tidgy's Dad

[Newground69]

3 hours ago, digit said:

Many people new to fossils think that heads "petrify" with soft tissue, skin, eyes, etc. all preserved in the 3D appearance they had in life--sadly, this does not happen (but it would make paleontology even more interesting).

Aren't there some sort of mummification process possible ?
I remember seeing a Lystrosaurus hand with warty skin posted on the social media by a french paleontologist working in south Africa (found by his student). When asked if it could be pareidolia and how to know it's really a fossilized paw, he answered that there were bones inside.

[Kane]

15 minutes ago, Newground69 said:

Aren't there some sort of mummification process possible ?
I remember seeing a Lystrosaurus hand with warty skin posted on the social media by a french paleontologist working in south Africa (found by his student). When asked if it could be pareidolia and how to know it's really a fossilized paw, he answered that there were bones inside.

Here is a link to the article in question. 

[Fossildude19]

23 minutes ago, Newground69 said:

Aren't there some sort of mummification process possible ?
I remember seeing a Lystrosaurus hand with warty skin posted on the social media by a french paleontologist working in south Africa (found by his student). When asked if it could be pareidolia and how to know it's really a fossilized paw, he answered that there were bones inside.

There are, but they are extremely rare.  And when it is found,  it is easily recognizable.  These are all quite obviously rocks.

[Jimmy From Holland]

this is a rock to

[Newground69]

7 hours ago, Kane said:

Here is a link to the article in question. 

nope, wasn't this one, but the paleontologist said it was found nearby the one described in this article. here is a link to his social media post : 

 

7 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

There are, but they are extremely rare.  And when it is found,  it is easily recognizable.  These are all quite obviously rocks.

Yes those looks like normal rocks to me except one rusty metallic thing (but didn't give my opinion on it as I don't have much knowledge). I just took the opportunity to talk/ask about this subject

Edited May 25, 2023 by Newground69