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The Biggest Dimetrodon I've Ever Found...


dinodigger

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Yeah. Totally. This dude is big. And scary looking. I peed a little when I saw the fangs. So typically the post canines we find on the Dimetrodon skeletons are no bigger than a half inch max. The post canines alone on this new skeleton are an inch and a half. The maxillary fang is going to be max 4 or 5 inches. He's a beast. The other skeleton is going to be the finest Dimetrodon loomisi in the world. After a big rain two weeks ago, we had to walk a few miles to get to the site. I started scraping mud off a small cliff face that had slumped over one of our jackets. Once I got down to bed rock, I nicked a Dimetrodon scapula. Literally I took a 2 mm nick out of it. Small sacrifice. The next two weeks we had uncovered a near complete loomisi. Still looking for the legs. The rest of the skeleton is accounted for. Complete sacrum and pelvis. Complete skull. Ugh. SO. COOL. Then..................................

I started trenching around the back side of the skeleton to prep for jacketing and NICKED a small bone, which turned out to be the edge of a Dimetrodon grandis skull. Grandis is a species that is bigger than a tiger. This one is pretty dang close. Full skull will be around 500 mm. Great GOOOOOOGLY MOOOOOGLY. His chompers are diamond pristine. A little dirty and a breath of caliche rind, but prepable with finger nail. Clavicle the size of Cincinnati so far. And a lower jaw goes on forever. Ok. I can sleep now for a few hours. Up at 5. On site at 630. Dig dig dig. Brush brush brush. Skull skull skull.

That one photo, by the way, of the butterfly lookin thang is the braincase. Hurrrahhhhhh.

More soon. Lights out.

Chris

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45026327@N05/sets/72157636199569033/

Edited by dinodigger
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Simply incredible. One of these days....

Take care up there, Chris. Oh, and dig, dig, dig, photo, photo, photo....

:D

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Hi Chris

Sounds fantastic. Unfortunately I can't view picture either, any chance you could post some more.

Cheers

Nick

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Man! I wish I could see these guys but I'm unable to view the attachment :(

Make sure your flash player is up to date.

"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!

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Awesome! I'd be sleeping at the site next to the specimens. Probably also digging at night using my vehicle headlights for light because I wouldn't be able to sleep much. Please post lots of pictures as you dig everything out.

Marco Sr.

"Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day."

My family fossil website     Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros     My Extant Shark Jaw Collection

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Chris and the Dimetrodons could be a west Texas band.... Here is more about his Permian exploits.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Man! I wish I could see these guys but I'm unable to view the attachment :(

Hi Chris

Sounds fantastic. Unfortunately I can't view picture either, any chance you could post some more.

Cheers

Nick

Make sure your filters aren't blocking Flash slide shows, and check to see whether your Flash Player is up-to-date: LINK

"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!

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We can definitely feel the two plus weeks of digging now in our fingers and toes. Have to move a mountain to build a mountain. My eyes are kinda crossed now. Still have enough energy to plug away for another half a week. Ok sooooooo, today we kinda just had to laugh out loud. I was cleaning up the Mallori skeleton and got it half jacketed. The other Dimetrodon, Patti is a HUGE grandis. Got that skull cleaned up. And in doing so.... I acccciddddennnntallly found another skeleton... Yeah. Wow. So now we have THREE Dimetrodons laying together. The third showed up as I was trenching. Of course. And it turned out to be a skull. Of course. This trip has been all about the skulls. My count for the last two weeks now is 4 Dimetrodon maxillae, 3 individuals. The newest girl is a loomisi, just like Mallori, but a wee bit bigger. No Grandis size, but a Beautiful maxilla with exquisite teeth. Braincase seems to be there. Meanwhile, Mallori has relinquished part of her tail. The first five caudals after the sacrum have appeared. Hopefully the rest is in the wall. Going to sleep now. No pics tonight. WIll try to get some up tomorrow.

Cheers,

Chris

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Awesome, Chris! :D

Thanks for the updates - love hearing about your discoveries.

Keep up the great work.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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