tracer Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 it's an old saying of mine, meaning it's a bad day. when the turtles are up on logs, the sun is usually shining and things are ok. when the turtles are down, things aren't so great... plastron id, anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Nice piece, T-man! Unfortunately, appreciation is all I can offer; way out of my league for ID. How big is it? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 oh, i dunno, about like that... <holding fingers out in front of monitor, showing auspex how big it is> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screweduptexan Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Wow, I cant be much help either (is that a surprise, really), but I really want to know where you find all the great stuff you seem to post. See, this is precisely why I want to go fossil hunting with you. But then, you'd have too much fun watching me fall down... Surely someone here will be able to identify it for you. I can't come up with anything clever enough for my signature...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 You odd creature... Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 nikolas - the german word for creature is pronounced kind of like "cray' ah toor", and your comment made me smile, because i've always enjoyed thinking of myself as a kreatur. s.u.t. - i've hunted fossils quite a few places, but i daresay you've got some great areas much closer to you than i am. if you're interested in spectacular fossils in texas, you're talking to the wrong guy. from my observations, there's a couple other guys on here from texas that are way ahead of me in scarfing up dead solid coolness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 OK, that is very unique for sure, Could we see the other side and maybe the edge? Or is this a puzzle to figure out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 laziness prevents me from submitting additional photos at the moment, which i guess by default makes it a puzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 A portion of turtle (tortuga muerta) plastron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracer Jr. Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 But then, you'd have too much fun watching me fall down... okay, i've gotta know. whats up with the falling down business S.U.T.? i guess i'm a little behind lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 A portion of turtle (tortuga muerta) plastron. I agree, I'will show you an almost complet miocene fossil (más muerta.. )plastron I have (Caretoquelidae) http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 ok, bueno, i know she is muerta - i'm wondering what was the color of her hair... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pristiformes Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 That's a very nice looking fossil. It seems to be in great condition. Well, it is a hypoplastron of a turtle, that much we can agree on I think. It somewhat resembles that of the genus Apalone (the softshells), but I don't see any peanut-like dimpled textured surface always present in plastrons and carapaces of that genus. Also, the bony extensions don't seem to match the extensions in Apalone very well. So I think that based on the photo it is not a softshell. I don't know any other freshwater turtle that would have a hypoplastron that is not sutured to the rest of plastron, except for Chelydridae (the snapping turtles). It is possible that it came from a snapping turtle (including Macrochelys, the alligator snapping turtle), or at least I can't rule that out right now. Besides snapping turtles, we must also consider the marine turtle families Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae. Looking at my copy of The Anatomy of Sea Turtles (Wyneken, 2001), the figures of the hypoplastrons of a loggerhead look very similar to the one you have photographed. Unfortunately, the publication does not seem to include a figure of a leatherback plastron, thus I cannot rule out the family Dermochelyidae. I can offer only a tentative determination that the hypoplastron came from either of the two extant marine turtle families, or a snapping turtle (Chelydra or Macrochelys), or perhaps from a now-extinct family. Actually, I'm assuming that it is fossilized, but perhaps it is not? You could probably learn more about it from finding out the known turtle taxa recovered from that particular formation and epoch. So that's my 1/50th of a dollar for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pristiformes Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Taking another look at the photo you furnished, I'm leaning more towards it being a marine turtle than a snapping turtle. If I had to guess, I'd say it is a cheloniid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screweduptexan Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Alright tracer jr, you see we were at NSR this last weekend and I was sitting on one of the banks b/c quite frankly I was hot and tired. Shen (my husband) and snakekeeper were gloating about a shark tooth snakekeeper found. I asked for some help in getting up and when Shen tried to pull me up the awkwardness of my rubber boots made my knees give out and I fell flat on my behind while saying a couple things I really should not have uttered. Then I got laughed at. Now, as I write this, I wonder if "uttered" is a word or if I typed it correctly as aren't utters something found on female bovine. But then again, I do always laugh at the car dealership just across the Lewisville Lake bridge: Bill Utter Ford. Just on the Utter side of Lake Lewisville. Interesting. I can't come up with anything clever enough for my signature...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 That's "udderly" ridiculous, and quite amusing. Got pics??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screweduptexan Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Pics of which? The billboard or me falling on my you know what? I can't come up with anything clever enough for my signature...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I agree, I'will show you an almost complet miocene fossil (más muerta.. )plastron I have (Caretoquelidae) Sorry, like Caretta (the mine..), thus Carettinae not caretoq... http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 ok, bueno, i know she is muerta - i'm wondering what was the color of her hair... If it comes from the Miocene, it will be very, very, veeery MUERTA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Pics of which? The billboard or me falling on my you know what? You falling on your we know what. I crack up at the look on people's faces when their feet end up higher than their head. Cheap rubber boots . . . $10 dollars. A pic of screweduptexan stuck in the mud . . . priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You falling on your we know what. I crack up at the look on people's faces when their feet end up higher than their head. Cheap rubber boots . . . $10 dollars. A pic of screweduptexan stuck in the mud . . . priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 pristiformes - your assessment is probably accurate. thanks. it's difficult finding enough comparative information online to id things, and those of you on here with very extensive knowledge in specific areas are a big help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screweduptexan Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 THank Goodness I was the only one with a camara handy! LOL! I can't come up with anything clever enough for my signature...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 ok, bueno, i know she is muerta - i'm wondering what was the color of her hair... I Tracer, look at my tortuga very muerta, not goog lighting for pictures, but I think that the images are comprehensives. Plastron pieces are very close to the extant Caretta turtle (viva) http://www.mbfossilcrabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 que guay, MB! thank's for posting! 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