NickG Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Thanks for sharing. I am so excited to see how this progresses. Keep posting!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Yes, this is definitely xenacanth. I'm not even sure which taxa make it into the Triassic but this is a phenomenal specimen that ought to be brought to the attention of Australian paleoichthyologists. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector9658 Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 7 hours ago, jdp said: Yes, this is definitely xenacanth. I'm not even sure which taxa make it into the Triassic but this is a phenomenal specimen that ought to be brought to the attention of Australian paleoichthyologists. I have been chatting to a couple of them about it, one is working on revising this taxon. He has provided some very useful papers on xenacanth skull morphology which I've used as reference. I believe it will be placed in the genus Mooreodontus. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalodus12 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Woah, what formation is this? This seems amazingly well preserved. Has the xenacanth material from this site been described? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalodus12 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Just now, Petalodus12 said: Woah, what formation is this? This seems amazingly well preserved. Has the xenacanth material from this site been described? Sorry, just saw @jdp's reply. Glad that this specimen has been brought to the attention of some Australian paleo peeps. Still in awe of this thing, though, its incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 15 minutes ago, Petalodus12 said: Sorry, just saw @jdp's reply. Glad that this specimen has been brought to the attention of some Australian paleo peeps. Still in awe of this thing, though, its incredible. Thank you! Xenacanths have been known from here for a long time, there are some spectacular complete specimens which have been collected. Woodward first described them in 1908. I haven't seen any specimens which have been prepared like this though, most skulls are preserved side on and split right through the middle. This one should be special as it shows the skull morphology well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalodus12 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 1 hour ago, izak_ said: Thank you! Xenacanths have been known from here for a long time, there are some spectacular complete specimens which have been collected. Woodward first described them in 1908. I haven't seen any specimens which have been prepared like this though, most skulls are preserved side on and split right through the middle. This one should be special as it shows the skull morphology well. Incredible. Glad that this material is getting attention. Also, amazing prep job!!!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Cole Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Thanks for sharing this. I'm so impressed with your ability to recognize this diamond in the rough and the care you've taken to expose it. Most of my finds are discovered by picking them up off a sandbar and hosing them down. I take it for granted. Your level of dedication to exploration is inspiring. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 Finally getting back into it! It has taken a day and a half to remove rock from just a few crevices, this stage is very slow going and tedious. The rock tends not to chip off but gets progressively thinner against the fossil, so you end up having to effectively scratch it off with the scribe. I am waiting to get a new scribe before working on the vertebrae and ribs. 3 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybot Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Aah it’s always a bummer when the matrix is sticky like that. Seems like your doing a great job with it though! 1 -Jay “The earth doesn't need new continents, but new men.” ― Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 A bit of progress on the left side. Not quite as nice as the other side but still cool! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Cute! You certainly did expose the eyes very well What is that blue spot below the snout? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 1 minute ago, Ludwigia said: Cute! You certainly did expose the eyes very well What is that blue spot below the snout? That was an arrow reminding me not to scribe there so I didn't damage some potential denticles or teeth, but I accidentally got acetone on it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 Some agonisingly slow progress on the cervical vertebrae. It has taken all week to roughly expose just this small area! The rock here is a mix between softer, lighter cherty stuff and a much harder iron rich matrix. The iron rich stuff is especially sticky and has occasional pockets of pyrite (not enough for pyrite decay to be a concern). Once all of this section is exposed I will go back over it with a fine scribe to clean it up, preferably under magnification, but for now I'm satisfied with the progress! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Wow! You are doing an amazing prep job my friend! RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian James Maguire Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 This is a great prep out cant wait to see finished result 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybot Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Great preparing skills! This will look amazing once finished 1 -Jay “The earth doesn't need new continents, but new men.” ― Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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