Ptychodus04 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I got out for a quick stop at a site in the Woodbine formation where I have been collecting a bird one bone at a time as it erodes from the sediment (if you try to excavate, the bones crumble to bits before you see them). Thus far, I have collected a coracoid, sacrum, metatarsal, and now a partial scapula. This is an enantiornithine bird. The cool part is this site is about 1/2 a mile from where I found Flexomornis howei (the only other known bird from the Woodbine). F. howei consists of a partial tibiotarsus, partial carpometacarpus, and a complete scapula. In order to differentiate this bird, I had to find one of the bones that are known in Flexomornis. This scapula looks significantly different (to my eye) than the one preserved in Flexomornis. So, I'm anxiously awaiting a call back from the Perot to get their opinion on whether or not I have another Flexomornis or something all together different. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
fossilized6s Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Wow! Very cool news, Kris. Definitely keep us posted about your discovery. Did you place wood around your erosion site for a catchall? Maybe a screen on top? How are you doing this process. I'm just curious. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
Ptychodus04 Posted May 6, 2015 Author Posted May 6, 2015 Unfortunately, this site is on a well traveled major road through town. So, the collection has to be pretty discrete in order to keep the claim jumpers away. This involves a trip out to the site after just about every rainstorm to check for more bits. Thankfully (oddly enough) the bones are in such a poor state of preservation that most fossil collectors don't seem to want to bother with the area. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
fossilized6s Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 That is unfortunate. Hopefully everything works out. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
BobWill Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Ha ha! "After just about every rainstorm" means twice a day around here lately. We got ANOTHER inch and a half in Cooke County last night and it looked like the metro area got hit too. I suppose that's a good thing as long as you have the chance to go often enough. Is there someone at the Perot who has experience with birds or do they consult with another facility? When you get enough information about these finds you may consider giving a talk at a DPS meeting. We love hearing about local discoveries.
Fossildude19 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Congratulations! That is a great find! Thanks for posting it. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me
JimB88 Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 man, i would be a nervous wreck worrying about someone else grabbing them... Awesome finds..is the Woodbine Cretaceous or Eocene?
Auspex Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Our friend can now claim the two oldest birds from North America. I am in complete awe! "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!
fossilized6s Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Our friend can now claim the two oldest birds from North America. I am in complete awe! Do i foresee a "Golden drool bucket" award? It is a pretty coveted badge to wear.... ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
Uncle Siphuncle Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Bird is a word...... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils."
JohnJ Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 This is another of those awesome topics I get to read on the forum. Thanks for letting us see the early bird photos. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ
bone2stone Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 You are right about the site being in a highly visible area. Roadside near Grapevine, or Flower Mound. Jess B.
Ptychodus04 Posted May 7, 2015 Author Posted May 7, 2015 Is there someone at the Perot who has experience with birds or do they consult with another facility? When you get enough information about these finds you may consider giving a talk at a DPS meeting. We love hearing about local discoveries. Dr. Tykoski has become a bird "expert" over the last 8 years of me bringing bird bits to them. To date, I've collected bones from 2 associated skeletons and 7 or 8 isolated bones. I know he has consulted with true bird experts on stuff for me but I'm not certain whom. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Ptychodus04 Posted May 7, 2015 Author Posted May 7, 2015 (edited) man, i would be a nervous wreck worrying about someone else grabbing them... Awesome finds..is the Woodbine Cretaceous or Eocene? I am somewhat. Thankfully, they look like snarge! Woodbine is Late Cretaceous (Middle Cenomanian) Thanks all for the comments. I heard back from Dr. Tykoski at the Perot. From the pics, he suspects that I may have a 2nd Flexomornis specimen. He thinks the differences in morphology are within acceptable ranges of genetic variation within a species. I am taking the bones to him this morning to look at in person. So, I will hopefully have an update after lunch. Also, picked up a small vert at the site that I need to have identified. I'll include photos of it with the forthcoming update post expert review! Edited May 7, 2015 by Ptychodus04 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Ptychodus04 Posted May 7, 2015 Author Posted May 7, 2015 Back from the museum... Dr. Tykoski is reasonably convinced that the new bird specimen is indeed a 2nd Flexomornis. That being said, it significantly expands the known anatomy of the species. As promised, attached are photos of the vertebra I collected nearby. Tykoski identified it as squamata: most likely lizard or snake. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
fossilized6s Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 Thanks for the update, Kris. Exciting, to say the least. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
PFOOLEY Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 Good work. You have got yourself a special little place. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins
Ptychodus04 Posted May 7, 2015 Author Posted May 7, 2015 Good work. You have got yourself a special little place. I feel lucky. My two little Woodbine spots have been very productive over the last 10 years. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Ptychodus04 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Posted May 29, 2015 A quick trip out to my Woodbine bird site yesterday proved productive. I collected an ulna from the associated Flexomornis howei specimen that is slowly coming out there. This brings the bone count for this specimen to 5. Coracoid, scapula, synsacrum, metatarsal, and ulna. Attached are photos of the new bone in left and right lateral views. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Auspex Posted May 29, 2015 Posted May 29, 2015 You have the patience of Job! Is the preservation such the you can make out any ulnar papillae (in either this or the original specimen)? "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!
Ptychodus04 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Posted May 29, 2015 You have the patience of Job! Is the preservation such the you can make out any ulnar papillae (in either this or the original specimen)? It makes for an easy excavation! There is so much gypsum attached to the bones at these sites that fine details are not readily preserved. I'll try to get the piece under my microscope to see if any papillae are preserved but I don't have much hope. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Ptychodus04 Posted June 4, 2015 Author Posted June 4, 2015 I took the Flexomornis ulna down to the Perot this morning. Under closer inspection, we found one definite ulnar papilla preserved. It is marked in black on the photo attached. There are 2 other possibilities (marked in red) closer to the proximal end of the bone. One is broken off due to a fracture in the specimen. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
Auspex Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 That's great! I know it may be too rough to be sure, but it seems to have a single row? Here's a wing schematic to show everyone what we're on about with this: "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!
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