Main Page - Part 325

13 06, 2015

Valley of the Whales – Basilosaurus Fossil Discovery

By Mike|2023-03-30T18:54:40+01:00June 13th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Scientists Study Nearly Complete Basilosaurus Fossil

Egypt’s “Valley of the Whales” has proved to be a very happy hunting ground as a team of scientists announce the discovery of the most complete skeleton of the ancient whale known as Basilosaurus ever found. The skeleton, believed to be around forty million years old, measures eighteen metres in length. A second whale fossil has also been discovered in the body cavity of the leviathan, at this early stage, scientists are unsure whether these bones represent the last meal of the Basilosaurus or perhaps its unborn young.

A Giant Whale

The giant whale was the apex predator in the shallow sea, a remnant of the mighty Tethys Ocean, that once covered this part of the world during the Eocene Epoch. Fossils of crustaceans and a number of fish species have also been discovered at the site. In addition, the discovery of several large shark teeth indicate the Basilosaurus corpse may have been scavenged prior to its burial.

Researchers Carefully Excavating the Nearly Perfectly Articulated Basilosaurus Fossil

The remains of the skull are nearest the camera.

Picture credit: Egyptian Ministry of the Environment

Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus was an early type of toothed whale. It is descended from a group of terrestrial carnivores, the Mesonychians. Two species have been described to date and this specimen represents one of the largest found in the Fayum deposits south-west of Cairo. The fossil material comes from one of the most important Cenozoic-aged fossil sites in the world, the Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley), a region of the Western Desert of Egypt, which contains the remains of the earliest types of ancient whales (Archaeoceti), scientists are able to trace from these fossils the last stages of cetacean limb evolution, in which the hind limbs were eventually lost.

A World Heritage Site

Wadi Al-Hitan has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005. It provides a unique insight into an ecosystem dominated by shallow waters and mangrove swamps that existed along the northern coast of Africa and into what is now, the Sahara Desert.

A Model of the Fearsome Marine Predator Basilosaurus

One of the ancient sea creatures featured in the Prehistoric Sealife Toob

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Basilosaurus Featured in a Documentary

Basilosaurus featured in the BBC television series “Walking with Beasts”, a follow up to the hugely successful 1999 “Walking with Dinosaurs”. Episode Two was entitled “Whale Killer” and told the story of a female Basilosaurus as she struggles to find food and find somewhere safe to give birth. As a result of this media exposure, Everything Dinosaur does receive requests for information about this early whale from time to time.

In terms of models, a Basilosaurus is featured in the “Prehistoric Sealife Toob” manufactured by Safari Ltd. It is one of ten models in this model set.

To see the range of Safari Ltd models supplied by Everything Dinosaur, including the Prehistoric Sealife Toob: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s review of the Safari Ltd Prehistoric Sealife Toob: Prehistoric Sealife Toob Reviewed.

Basilosaurus Fossils

It is hoped that this new fossil discovery can help solve one of the enduring mysteries associated with Basilosaurus. The very long and serpentine shape of Basilosaurus (the name means “King Reptile”), has presented anatomists and vertebrae palaeontologists with a bit of a puzzle. The distal caudal vertebrae are compressed in a very similar way to those seen in animals with a tail fluke. However, having the tail fluke at the very end of a long, sinuous tail (as in the model above), would have given this marine mammal quite an awkward and inefficient swimming action.

With a complete specimen of the tail bones to study, it is hoped that these fossils will provide more information on early cetacean locomotion.

A Close up of the Preserved Skull and Jaws of Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus skull excavation.

Picture credit: Egyptian Ministry of the Environment

A Model of a Basilosaurus (PNSO

PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Basilosaurus replica.

The PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Basilosaurus model.

PNSO have a large Basilosaurus prehistoric whale model in their range: PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

12 06, 2015

Fibres and Cellular Structures Observed in Dinosaur Fossils

By Mike|2023-03-30T18:47:18+01:00June 12th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|2 Comments

Soft Tissue Preservation in Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Bones

When Everything Dinosaur team members were first informed of a paper being published that reported on “blood cells and soft tissue” having been discovered in dinosaur fossils the day before the film “Jurassic World ” was released, there was some scepticism around the office. Amid the inevitably lurid and rather dramatic headlines which have been seen in some publications we thought it a good idea to try to put this fascinating piece of research into a wider context.

The study was undertaken by scientists at the Imperial College London, their findings were published in the academic journal “Nature Communications”, it is not going to herald the establishment of a number of genetically engineered dinosaur themed safari parks, but it does suggest that even poorly preserved body fossils may contain more than just permineralised materials.

Bone and Teeth Alone are Not Enough

Most of what we have learned about the Dinosauria has been gained from studying their bones and teeth. Trace fossils too have proved useful, even permitting researchers to speculate on behaviours such as social groupings and pack hunting, but if traces of soft tissue could be analysed, then our understanding could move forward exponentially. Such a study could provide valuable insights into dinosaur physiology, it would for example, provide strong evidence with regards to the endothermy versus ectothermy debate (warm-blooded versus cold-blooded).

Importantly, the link between the Coelurosauria and birds could be established beyond doubt. In short, it could be proved that the Robin perched on your bird table is indeed a distant relative of Tyrannosaurus rex.

Dr Susannah Maidment One of the Authors of the Study Holding a Stegosaurus Skull Cast

Dr Susannah Maidment, one of the authors of the study holding a cast of a Stegosaurus skull.

Picture credit: Laurent Mekul

Dinosaur Biology

A point that we frequently make is that dinosaur biology remains very much a mystery. What we have learned has come about through some very remarkable research that utilises techniques and scientific methods that were undreamed of even a few years ago. It is the collaboration between different scientific disciplines that is providing so much new information on dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. The use of computerised tomography (CT), for example, has enabled palaeontologists to explore the three-dimensional structures of fossil bone, even when it has been embedded in extremely dense rock.

In this study, samples from eight dinosaur bone specimens were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to provide exquisite images of the fossil structures in minute detail.

A number of samples were studied using a focused ion beam (FIB), an imaging and resolution technology more at home in a materials science lab but now finding an increasing number of applications in other scientific areas of enquiry including vertebrate palaeontology. It is the adoption and application of different scientific methods, drawn from a whole variety of research fields that is enabling academics to make some remarkable discoveries, shedding light, or in this case electrons and ions on those most enigmatic of extinct creatures – the dinosaurs.

Any Old Fossils?

The novel approach undertaken by the Imperial College scientists sets up an intriguing possibility, one that allows us to use an analogy from the “Jurassic Park” franchise to explain. The eight fossils used in this study came from the Natural History Museum (London), which is conveniently located just a few hundred metres away from the College. Specifically the fossils come from two collections at the Museum, all of them relate to Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil material from North America (Dinosaur Provincial Park and Lance Formations respectively).

The fossils studied represent a claw bone from an unknown species of meat-eating dinosaur, a partial rib from an indeterminate duck-billed dinosaur and other bits and pieces of assorted dinosaur that would not have got a second glance had they been on display. That’s the point. Evidence for soft tissue preservation in a number of vertebrate fossils have been reported before, even in the Dinosauria. This area is not without controversy, but here evidence has been presented for the potential preservation of organic remains from reptiles that died more than seventy million years ago.

Dinosaur Claw Bone used in the Study

Manual ungual (dinosaur claw) from an unknown species of theropod used in the Imperial College London study.

Picture credit: Laurent Mekul

If these fragments of fossils can possibly contain proteins and other biological structures, then maybe, just maybe there is a lot more preserved within the fossil record – we just have not been looking for it.

Jurassic Park

Let’s use that “Jurassic Park” analogy to look at this intriguing aspect further. In the original book, written by Michael Crichton and published in 1990, the InGen scientists (the team behind the creation of various dinosaurs using DNA recovered from blood-sucking insects preserved in amber, mixed with amphibian genetic material and so forth), come up with what they think to be an infallible method of ensuring that all their engineered dinosaurs stay on their island home. Each animal’s position is tracked and movements can be recorded using a simple receiver.

With three hundred dinosaurs on the preserve, it is just a case of asking the software that tracks the animals’ comings and goings to find three hundred dinosaurs. Every day without fail, when asked, the computer read out states that there are three hundred dinosaurs on the island. The flaw in this safety precaution is pointed out by Dr Ian Malcolm, a mathematician who has been brought to the resort in order to validate it prior to the park opening to the public.

Interrogating the Data

The good doctor, asks the computer programme to find three hundred and one dinosaurs, and sure enough the software reports on that number. Dr Malcolm continues to interrogate the team behind the computer programme asking repeatedly for the software to detect more and more dinosaurs.

The doctor, a specialist in Chaos Theory, had predicted that the biological preserve would fail “nature finds a way” as he so eloquently states in the film. Despite the entire dinosaur population starting out as female, the animals had started to breed and that was why there were more dinosaurs recorded than expected.

Just like in the example above, scientists may have been asking the wrong questions. Soft tissue preserved in the fossil record of long extinct creatures might be more common than previously thought. Similar structures have been observed before, but for most of the time, the research was focused on investigating the range of criteria that were believed to have existed to have led to the preservation of organic remains, these specimens were treated as the exception – could they be the norm?

Caution Advised

Tiny egg-like shapes identified deep within a dinosaur claw bone that have a resemblance to red blood cells, certainly deserve further analysis and investigation. Admittedly, the red and green images of the structures with the different colours reflecting varying material densities can be confusing, after all, if a lay person reads a headline in a magazine stating that dinosaur blood may have been found and sees a picture covered in red, he or she may jump to one very obvious conclusion.

Mass spectrometry analysis, another relatively recent addition to the palaeontologist’s ever increasing technical armoury, this time from the laboratory of an analytical chemist, threw up tantalising results when the red blood cell-like materials were scrutinised. Four different regions from the same fossilised theropod claw were compared to the mass spectrometry report for Emu blood. The resulting data suggested that there were indeed chemical similarities.

If this really is some form of preserved, (although quite probably severely degraded), remnant of a theropod dinosaur’s blood then, as Ratites such as the Emu are believed to be closely related to the Theropoda then similar mass spectrometry results could be anticipated.

Potential Evidence of Preserved Red Blood Cells in Dinosaur Bone

Evidence of potential red blood cells preserved in 75-million-year-old dinosaur bone.

Picture credit: Laurent Mekul

Microscopic Fibres – More Caution Advised

Fibres or fibrous-like structures were reported from half the samples studied. In one specimen, a fragment of rib bone from an unknown dinosaur revealed a structure within it that resembled collagen. Further chemical analysis revealed traces of amino acid fragments such as glycine, alanine and proline. This is consistent what you would expect to find if you were analysing collagen.

If a fragment of collagen could be recovered, then that would be a remarkable discovery indeed. Like blood and other organic materials these substances are believed to degrade relatively quickly after death. However, if a protein based structure like collagen could be found in the fossilised bones of a dinosaur then this would open up an entirely new area of research into the Dinosauria.

Potential Collagen Structures Preserved in Fossil Bone

Fibrous structures preserved in fossilised bone.

Picture credit: Laurent Mekul

Further Study is Required

The scientists behind this paper are keen to point out that further study is required. Two of the fossil bones used in this research revealed no traces of any potential soft tissue components, a point missed by a number of media outlets that covered this story. However, if poorly preserved fossil material can retain microscopic traces of blood and other organic materials then it will change our science forever.

Dig sites will be subjected to forensic procedures, perhaps a clean room will be have to be set up in the field to help minimise the risk of organic cross-contamination. What about the use of glues and resins that act as fossil bone stabilisers? Could the over enthusiastic use of super glue at a dig station compromise the chances of retrieving viable traces of organic material later, back in the prep lab?

Can the Results be Repeated?

If other institutes can repeat these experiments and produce the same results consistently, then this has some dinosaur-sized implications for palaeontology. If it can be concluded that the structures observed and analysed within the samples do indeed originate from preserved proteins from the extinct animal, then we may have an opportunity to study soft tissues in long dead creatures. A more complete understanding of dinosaur biology may be within our grasp.

Now that would be something to make a movie about.

10 06, 2015

Welsh Dinosaurs – New Early Jurassic Theropod Discovered

By Mike|2023-03-30T16:58:10+01:00June 10th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|2 Comments

Early Jurassic Dinosaur Goes on Display

The story broke this week of the discovery of a new species of meat-eating dinosaur after fossils found at Lavernock beach (near Penarth, South Wales), went on display at the National Museum of Wales. Many of the news reports that carried this story heralded this important discovery and claimed that this new meat-eating dinosaur was a Welsh cousin of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. Whilst it is true, this lithe and agile theropod was indeed distantly related to T. rex it is important to stress the term “distantly” in this context.

The domestic cat is much more closely related to a tiger than this Welsh dinosaur was to the North American “King of the Tyrant Lizards”, at least a domestic cat and a tiger belong to the same taxonomic family (Felidae).

A New Early Jurassic Dinosaur has been Discovered

Significant dinosaur discovery.

Picture credit: National Museum of Wales/Bob Nicholls

The Theropoda

The theropods (Theropoda) are a suborder of dinosaurs, they are lizard-hipped and perhaps the most diverse and most specious of all the Dinosauria. This new fossil find is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Lavernock shales represent strata formation in a shallow, marine environment. These rocks were laid down at the very beginning of the Jurassic geological period (Hettangian faunal stage), this discovery is one of just a handful of dinosaur fossils known from this location.

Most of the dinosaur material from the Lavernock Point area that had been found in the past consisted of highly eroded, isolated and very fragmentary bones. The rocks do preserve fossils of vertebrates, fish scales and teeth are the most common finds these too are usually quite worn.

Early Jurassic Dinosaur

It seems some 200 million years ago, the carcase of a not fully grown, meat-eating dinosaur was washed out to sea, when the corpse sank, it was covered in fine silt and the fossilisation process began. The five blocks in which the largely disarticulated fossil was found, (bone material representing about 5% of the total skeleton), were washed out of the cliffs during storms in the spring of 2014. Brothers Nick and Rob Hanigan were responsible for making the fossil find. One of the brothers came across the exposed blocks whilst out fossil hunting and alerted his brother to help explore the immediate location after the rock fall.

Nick and Rob were able to locate a number of bones including fragments of the skull and some very fine examples of the dinosaur’s teeth. They are to be congratulated for their discovery, had the fossils remained exposed on the beach for just a few weeks they may have been subjected to erosion or even washed out to see with the next high tide and therefore potentially lost forever.

For models and figures of Jurassic dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures: Mojo Fun Prehistoric and Extinct Models.

A Close up of the Upper Jaw Bone and Tooth Surrounded by Other Skull Material

Jaw and skull fossil material.

Picture credit: National Museum of Wales

Welsh Dinosaur Discovery

Fragmentary fossils that have been assigned to the Dinosauria have been found in this part of the British Isles before, we have had the opportunity to look at pictures of a number of specimens from south, central England.

These specimens consist of, for the most part, isolated bones, here is an Early Jurassic Theropod dinosaur that is represented by a lot more fossil material. The specimen has been studied by scientists from the National Museum of Wales, along with experts from Manchester and Portsmouth Universities. We are expecting a formal scientific paper to be published in the autumn and we think that the distinguished University of Portsmouth palaeontologist Dr David Martill we be one of the authors.

Dr John Nudds, (Manchester University), who has examined the specimen stated:

“It is very rare to find this type of dinosaur at all and never before in Wales. In fact it is only the second dinosaur ever found in Wales.”*

The Blocks of Material and a Reconstruction on Display at the National Museum of Wales

On display the fossils with a skeleton reconstruction.

Picture credit: National Museum of Wales

A Welsh Dinosaur

We are aware of a number of ichnogenera described from trace fossils found near Bendrick Rock, down the coast from the Lavernock site. Theropod footprints have been found in Wales, but body fossils are extremely rare. The first dinosaur described from Welsh deposits is Pantydraco caducus, which is known from a partial skull and post cranial material, it belongs to the Sauropodomorpha group and its fossils were collected from a quarry in Bonvilston, about six miles north-west of the Lavernock fossil discovery. Could Pantydraco have been attacked by this, as yet, unnamed theropod? The answer is no, the strata in which the fossils of Pantydraco were found are several million years older than the Lavernock sediments.

The Lavernock Specimen

In addition, the Lavernock specimen represents an individual that would have been around half a metre high at the hips and measuring around two to three metres in length. It is very likely that this little meat-eating dinosaur fed on insects, small reptiles and mammals, although when fully grown, perhaps over five metres in length, other Early Jurassic dinosaurs including sauropodomorphs were probably on the menu.

* This may not be the second dinosaur fossil discovered in Wales, isolated bone fragments have been found in South Wales from near Bridgend and from the Lavernock area. Unfortunately, these fossils are very difficult to assign with any certainty to a specific clade of the Dinosauria. They may not represent dinosaurs at all but other related archosaurs.

We shall have to wait for the scientific paper, this will provide a lot more information and also help to assign this particular specimen to a family. We suspect that the fossils represent a member of the Coelophysidae, it will most certainly be a new species. So very few fossils of Late Triassic/Early Jurassic theropod dinosaurs have been found, a time when the Theropoda were diversifying and evolving into a number of new forms. This little dinosaur may represent the earliest known dinosaur from the Jurassic.

Illustrating the Dinosaur

There are a couple of things to note about the illustration produced by the highly talented palaeo-artist Bob Nicholls, first of all the animal is not painted a dull grey or brown. This dinosaur has a reddish hue with distinctive white markings, a sign of the times as more colourful depictions of the Dinosauria are now becoming the norm. In addition, this theropod dinosaur has quills and tufts of simple feathers. This is a nod to the now widely accepted theory that most theropod dinosaurs were indeed feathered.

More Information About British Dinosaurs

A comprehensive guide to British dinosaurs over 400 pages.

Picture credit: Siri Scientific Press

For further information on dinosaurs from the British Isles we recommend the excellent “Dinosaurs of the British Isles” by Dean R. Lomax and Nobumichi Tamura

Copies can be purchased here: Siri Scientific Press.

9 06, 2015

Annual Queensland Dinosaur Dig Yields Rare Fossils

By Mike|2024-05-05T13:42:59+01:00June 9th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Queensland Dinosaur Dig Unearthing Bones

At the beginning of the month we reported on the annual Australian dinosaur excavations that were opening up once again in Queensland. As the digs continue to progress, scientists from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum (Winton), have stated that a number of new dinosaur fossils have been found.

At the start of the dig season, palaeontologists had expressed the wish to discover a new species of Cretaceous dinosaur, given the wealth of material recovered so far it seems that there is a strong possibility that the fossil specimens, once fully prepared might lead to the identification of a new genus of Australian dinosaur.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s earlier article about the annual excavations: Time for Some More Aussie Dinosaurs.

Queensland Dinosaur Dig

The exposed strata around Winton dates from the Late Cretaceous (98 to 95 million years ago). During this time, (Late Albian faunal stage of the Lower Cretaceous), Australia was beginning to separate from Antarctica as the super-continent of Gondwana continued to break up, most of the dinosaur’s described from Queensland rocks are unique to Australia, although they are related to other types of dinosaur found elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dr Stephen Poropat (Australian Age of Dinosaurs), commented that a number of intriguing specimens had already been found including some large dinosaur bones.

He added:

“We are looking for a sauropod dinosaur, so a long-necked dinosaur with four elephant-like legs and then a long tail – and we know that because we have found some of its back bone and some of its ribs.”

A number of locations are currently being explored, some of them have not been studied and mapped before. It is hoped that these excavations and the dinosaur discoveries will help to provide a boost to the local economy as tourists visit the area to view Australia’s very own “Jurassic Park”, or to be more correct and with the age of the strata considered it would be more appropriate to refer to this location as “Cretaceous Park”.

Discovery of a Scapula

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Executive Chairman, David Elliott explained that the work carried out so far, it had been hard going but some significant finds had been unearthed.

Mr Elliott stated:

“We found one really nice scapula [shoulder bone], like a big shoulder blade and it is beautiful, it is quite a large bone.”

Dinosaur bones had been found at several locations, the Executive Chairman added:

“We’re just starting to really hit on the bones now, we have found this big row of boulders, and we are talking massive boulders, like the size of a ute [utility vehicle].”

Once identified as fossil bearing rock, these large boulders will have to be carefully jacketed and then loaded onto either large pick-up trucks (utes to use the local vernacular), or onto a low loader. Once safely back at the laboratory, the careful job of preparing and cleaning the fossilised bones can begin.

Although, Everything Dinosaur team members have no additional information at this stage and we have not received details of the measurements of any fossil material, but if the fossils are as large as predicted, then the palaeontologists will probably be looking at another sizeable Australian titanosaur, perhaps something in excess of twenty metres in length.

Australian Titanosaurs

A number of titanosaurs are already known from this part of the world, dinosaurs such as Wintonotitan (W. wattsi), which may have reached a length of around fifteen metres or so when fully grown and the slightly smaller Diamantinasaurus (Diamantinasaurus matildae). The palaeoenvironment must have been particularly rich and diversified to be able to sustain a number of different types of Titanosaurs within the same habitat.

We look forward to hearing more about these new fossil discoveries from Queensland.

For dinosaur models and figures including replicas of Australian dinosaurs: CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.

8 06, 2015

What is Oolitic Limestone? That’s a Good Question

By Mike|2024-05-05T14:12:54+01:00June 8th, 2015|Categories: Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page, Teaching|0 Comments

Oolite (Egg Stone) Get up Close to Limestone

One of the joys of having Smartphones around the office is that these can be borrowed and taken out on fossil hunting expeditions. Yes, they have all sorts of features, most of which we don’t use, but the camera has proved a boon. With twenty megapixels to play with team members have been able to take some lovely photographs of fossil discoveries and geological landscapes. With this sort of imaging technology widely available there are more pictures of fossils being taken than ever before, but sometimes the rocks that contain the fossils can prove to be just as interesting, take oolitic limestone for example.

Oolitic Limestone

A Photograph of Oolitic Limestone (Building Stone)

Some “egg stone” seen in a building. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Cotswold Building Stone

The picture above shows Cotswold building stone (Middle Jurassic), limestone that was laid down in a marine environment and a number of small shelly fossils have been preserved along with natural casts of shells. If you were to run your hand over this finely chiselled piece of building stone it would still feel quite rough, having the texture of coarse sand paper. It is oolitic limestone, otherwise known as “egg stone” and close up the surface of the stone has a remarkable appearance.

A Close Up of the Limestone Material

Made up of tiny spherical shapes. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The powerful digital camera on the Smartphone can pick up fine details such as the small, bubble-like appearance of the surface of the limestone. These are the remnants of the ooliths (sometimes also called ooids) that make up the rock. Grains of sand or fragments of seashell are rolled around the sea floor and as they do, they collect calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Concentric layers are formed and these give the rock its characteristic “egg stone” appearance, as the surface of the rock looks like fish roe (fish eggs). Hence the term oolitic limestone.

Limestone Oolite (Egg Stone)

Oolite (egg stone) is sedimentary rock and although most ooids are formed from the collection of calcium carbonate, this is not always the case as these structures can be composed of phosphate, dolomite or even chert. The ancient Greek word for egg is òoion and this might be the source of the derivations associated with this geologic structure.

In geology, sedimentary rock can be classified according to the composition of the rock as well as the diameter of the “egg stone” structures that are observed within it. For example, oolites are technically defined as being composed of ooids that range in diameter between 0.25 mm to 2 mm.

Classifying the Rock Types

Rocks composed of ooids of a larger than 2 mm diameter are called pisolites (made up of spherical shapes called pisoids). The terms pisolite and pisoids come from the ancient Greek word for pea, so think of the size of the spherical shapes observed in the stone like a group of small peas.

Oolitic Limestone can be Full of Fossils

Fossil shell fragments in the oolitic limestone. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Ooids are normally formed in warm, shallow seas that contain a lot of calcium and other minerals dissolved within the seawater. Intertidal movements or currents aid in the transport of the material which helps in the formation of the ooid structures, but oolitic material can also form in freshwater. Fragments of shell or a sand grain can act as a “seed” giving the calcium carbonate a medium which it can form around.

As these tiny “seeds” tumble around the sea bed they accumulate layers of precipitated calcite (another term for calcium carbonate), the size of the ooid (or pisoid) formed indicates the length of time the object has been exposed to the sea water before being buried by further sediment deposition.

Size Indicates Time on the Seafloor

Therefore, pisoids, being larger than ooids have been present on the seafloor longer than ooids. Oolites with their “egg stone” grains superficially resemble sandstone and they can be white, grey or even yellow in colour (such as Portland limestone). Under a high powered magnifying glass (or within a 20 megapixel image), the concentric rings which form the ooids can be easily made out.

Oolitic limestones are popular building materials, for example Cotswold limestone (oolitic limestone), as they are hard, resist erosion and come in a variety of hues and colours. As they have an even structure they can be cut or sculpted in any direction. Take a look at some of the older, stone buildings in your town. If you live in the UK, chances are that some of these building stones are oolitic limestone and if you have a powerful camera you can record surface details yourself and record the ooids.

For models and replica of Jurassic dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures: Nanmu Studio Jurassic Series Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

6 06, 2015

Regaliceratops – A Right Royal Rumble!

By Mike|2023-03-30T15:29:43+01:00June 6th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Regaliceratops peterhewsi – The Curious World of Royal Chasmosaurines

Recently published in the journal “Current Biology” comes a description of the remarkably flamboyant Regaliceratops, the name translates as “royal horned face”, a new species of horned dinosaur from south-western Alberta (Canada) that highlights once again that the Dinosauria have a few more surprises for palaeontologists awaiting in the Upper Cretaceous aged sediments of North America.

A large fossilised skull of a horned dinosaur was discovered by geologist Peter Hews back in 2005. The fossil material consists of much of the cranial material, but the rostral bone and lower jaw are missing. Although the exact stratigraphical location of the fossil find is a little uncertain (blame the lack of distinctive marker beds in the locality), it is likely that this horned dinosaur lived in the Middle Maastrichtian faunal stage of the Cretaceous around 68 million years ago.

Geologist Peter Hews with the Prepared Regaliceratops peterhewsi

Geologist Peter Hews with the skull of Regaliceratops.

Picture credit: Royal Tyrrell Museum

Horned dinosaurs are well known for their huge heads and flamboyant crests. Surrounding the skull frill was a crest of large, plate-like epoccipitals, that reminded the palaeontologists responsible for the study of the fossil (Dr Caleb Brown and Dr Donald Henderson, both from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alberta), of a crown, hence, in part this dinosaur’s genus name representing royalty.

Honouring Royalty and a Museum?

The genus name also honours the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, a leading centre of palaeontological research into Late Cretaceous prehistoric animals. The species name honours Peter Hews for his work in researching the strata of the St Mary’s River, from which the fossil was extracted.

An Illustration of the Royal Dinosaur (Regaliceratops)

A right royal member of the Ceratopsidae.

Picture credit: Julius Csotonyi

An Absence of Postcranial Material

Although no postcranial material has been found, based on the skull dimensions and using an analysis of closely related genera such as Anchiceratops, it has been estimated that this herbivorous dinosaur was around five to six metres in length and that it may have weighed as much as 1.5 tonnes, possibly a little more. The frill ornamentation reminded team members at Everything Dinosaur of the dermal plates found on stegosaurs, but this similarity is superficial.

These structures in combination with the overall shape of the skull, along with the pair of fenestrae (holes) within the crest, were probably used to communicate visually with other members of the herd, although that large crest and the big nose horn may have had defensive functions also.

Hellboy!

A number of media outlets have reported that this dinosaur was nick-named “Hellboy” due to the small pair of brow horns that this dinosaur possessed. They reminded the palaeontologists of the horns on the top of the head of the comic book character, we suspect that the main reason for the nick-name was the great difficulty the scientists had when trying to remove the very hard matrix that surrounded the fossil material.

Although this part of Alberta has not yielded a great deal of dinosaur fossil material, least not when compared to geological formations such as the Dinosaur Park Formation and Horseshoe Canyon Formation which occur to the west of the fossil site, but this discovery hints that many more species of bizarrely crested horned dinosaurs await discovery.

Characteristics of Chasmosaurine as well as Centrosaurine Dinosaurs

The Ceratopsidae (horned dinosaur) family can be split into two distinct sub-families, the Chasmosaurinae and the Centrosaurinae. Up until a few years ago, it was a relatively straight forward process when it came to classifying a horned dinosaur into one of these groups. Centrosaurines tended to have shorter neck shields, small brow horns and a prominent bump or large nose horn. In contrast, the chasmosaurs were classified as having relatively longer neck frills, a small nose horn and much larger brow horns.

This rather simplistic assessment has fallen out of favour as the myriad of new North American dinosaur species described in the last decade or so have rather “muddied the phylogenetic waters somewhat”, as an Everything Dinosaur team member has stated.

Regaliceratops has centrosaurine characteristics despite its classification of a member of the Chasmosaurinae.

Regaliceratops Compared to Styracosaurus (Centrosaur) and Triceratops (Chasmosaur)

Characteristics of centrosaurines as well as chasmosaurines.

Picture credit: Royal Tyrrell Museum

The picture above shows the skull and horns Regaliceratops (middle) compared to those of the centrosaurine Styracosaurus (left) and the chasmosaurine Triceratops (right). Regaliceratops has the relatively long neck frill associated with the Chasmosaurinae, but it has very much reduced brow horns which is a typical trait of the centrosaurines.

Late Cretaceous Horned Dinosaurs and Regaliceratops peterhewsi

Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs of North America, diversified in a relatively short time (geologically) into a huge range of different types. The authors of the paper published in “Current Biology” undertook a phylogenetic study of chasmosaurs and they propose the these chasmosaurine dinosaurs can be further split into two groups.

The first, older group of chasmosaurs, containing dinosaurs such as Pentaceratops, Utahceratops, Chasmosaurus and Mojoceratops that lived during the Late Campanian and into the very Early Maastrichtian faunal stage, were smaller and possessed anatomical features that resembled the Centrosaurines.

The second group represents those chasmosaurs that lived towards the very end of the Cretaceous, the likes of Ojoceratops, Eotriceratops, Torosaurus and the most famous horned dinosaur of them all Triceratops. These chasmosaurs tended to be larger and to have more highly developed chasmosaur features (large brow horns and big, simple neck frills).

Regaliceratops peterhewsi

Based on the known fossil material, the authors state that as the Centrosaurine-like chasmosaurs such as Pentaceratops et al seem to have become extinct at the same time as the true centrosaurs, then a common cause may have been responsible for both these two groups demise. The second more derived group of chasmosaurines, the group that includes Triceratops, may have diversified to occupy the niches in the ecosystem that were subsequently vacated.

If this phylogenetic study is examined carefully, then an argument can be made for there being a common ancestor of the two groups of chasmosaurines, but no candidate fossil material has been discovered to date, so there is likely to be a number of surprises in the shape of Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs that represent new species awaiting discovery in North America.

The Skull Material within the Extremely Hard Matrix

Extremely hard limestone matrix (hard work digging out “hell boy”).

Picture credit: Royal Tyrrell Museum

This latest report on the bizarre horned dinosaurs raises a fascinating, yet highly controversial point. If the authors are correct in their conclusions, then we have chasmosaurine dinosaurs diversifying to fill the ecological niches left empty with the extinction of the centrosaurines. To fill those niches, the chasmosaurs developed anatomical characteristics that resembled the centrosaurs. This is an example of convergent evolution and it is unique in the Dinosauria as far as we at Everything Dinosaur can work out. Horns and bony display structures that evolve in two separate groups of dinosaurs which are very similar in appearance and apparent function.

Romantic Palaeontologists

We can’t draw to a close our brief examination of “royal horned face” without mentioning the extremely romantic gesture included in the scientific paper by Caleb Brown. At the bottom of the acknowledgements section of the paper, Caleb sneaked in a marriage proposal to his partner Dr Lorna O’Brien who works as a technician at the museum. In the sometimes dry world of academic publishing, the addition of this very personal message may come as a surprise to some, but there have been a number of cases of comments, plays on words or even outright jokes being published in such papers. However, none of us here can recall a marriage proposal being contained within such a publication.

Proposal Appearing at the Very Bottom of the Paper

By “Royal Command”.

Picture credit: Current Biology

Lorna said yes and we wish the happy couple a peaceful and prosperous future.

5 06, 2015

One Week to “Jurassic World”

By Mike|2023-03-30T15:24:11+01:00June 5th, 2015|Categories: Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Movie Reviews and Movie News|0 Comments

Countdown to “Jurassic World”

Not long to go now before the worldwide release of the film “Jurassic World”. Team members at Everything Dinosaur are very excited about this and over the last few weeks and months we have been posting up various items of information, news snippets and of course the trailers related to this, the fourth film in the Jurassic Park movie franchise. Hopefully we have not leaked too many spoilers and we are all looking forward to seeing the film, along with millions of other dinosaur fans.

Jurassic World

Spotted on a Trip to the Cinema

Three days since a Tyrannosaurus rex attack.

A site safety notice at our local cinema spotted at the entrance as team members went to see a dinosaur movie. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

We promise not to blog about plot details and to give away too many details about particular scenes in the film. We shall have to tread a careful path between not spoiling the film for those people who have not seen it and those readers who have requested that we comment on an aspect of this blockbuster. Please go with us on this, naturally as the weeks and months pass, we can include more information as there is a greater likelihood that the majority of our readers will have watched the film.

Jurassic World Prehistoric Animal Models

The Chinese-based manufacturer Nanmu Studio has earned a strong reputation for its range of prehistoric animal models which resemble dinosaurs from movies. The range includes a Mosasaurus as well as theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Carnotaurus.

The Nanmu Studio range also includes ornithischian dinosaurs such as a hadrosaur (Nutcracker Soldier Parasaurolophus), Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.

To view the range of Nanmu Studio models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Nanmu Studio Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models.

4 06, 2015

Getting Under a Dinosaur’s Skin

By Mike|2023-03-30T15:19:58+01:00June 4th, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Origins of Feathers More Complex Than Previously Thought

Over the last week or so, team members at Everything Dinosaur have reported upon new research into whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded or not. In addition, in response to requests from readers, we discussed the lack of feathers in dinosaurs such as the fearsome Velociraptors that are featured in the forthcoming movie “Jurassic World”.

Feathered Dinosaurs

This morning, we turn once again to the “were dinosaurs feathered” debate as a new study published in the journal “Biology Letters” suggests that the common ancestor of the Dinosauria was not covered in feathers and indeed, most dinosaurs probably were scaly.

Analysis undertaken by scientists from the Natural History Museum (London), Uppsala University (Sweden) and the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada) suggest that feathered dinosaurs were probably the exception amongst the Order Dinosauria. A comprehensive review of known dinosaur skin fossils coupled with an in-depth study of the dinosaur family tree was used to assess the probability of feathers appearing in different types of dinosaur.

The team conclude that the majority of non-avian dinosaurs were more likely to have had scales like a crocodile or lizard rather than exhibiting signs of feathers or “feather-like” structures.

Once Again Palaeontologists Debate the Extent of Feathers in the Dinosauria

Adult and juvenile feathered dinosaurs.

Picture credit: Xing Lida and Song Qijin

Why do Scientists Get into a Flap over Feathers?

If the majority of dinosaurs had feathers then this has huge implications for dinosaur biology and behaviour. Insulating feathers infer that the animal that possesses them must be warm-blooded (endothermic), so this argument links directly into the cold-blooded versus warm-blooded dinosaur debate.

To read the article on the research from Stony Brook University that challenges 2014 data on mesothermic dinosaurs and argues that dinosaurs were indeed warm-blooded: Dinosaur Warm-blooded Debate Hots Up.

Thanks to the astonishing fossils from Liaoning Province (China) scientists have been able to identify feathers in a number of different types of theropod dinosaur. It is widely accepted that many different types of meat-eating dinosaur were feathered or at least partially feathered.

Those dinosaurs which are believed to be closely related to birds provide the greatest number of candidates for feathers rather than scales. Dinosaurs such as Caudipteryx (Oviraptoridae), Beipiaosaurus (Therizinosauridae), Microraptor (Dromaeosauridae) and Deinocheirus (Ornithomimosauria) were all very probably feathered. All these dinosaurs are classified as coelurosaurian theropods, the clade of dinosaurs that taxonomically are placed close to the evolutionary line leading to the Aves (birds) fossil evidence supports this hypothesis.

Beautifully Feathered Dinosaur Fossil from Liaoning Province (Microraptor)

Feathers found preserved in many dinosaur fossils from China.

Scored for the Presence of Absence of Feathers

The researchers included thirty-four ornithischian dinosaurs, six sauropods and forty theropods (which included some Mesozoic birds). These taxa along with a number of others were scored for the presence of feathers or proto-feathers in the fossil record. Where on the body feathers had been found was also taken into account along with the type of depositional environments that allowed the preservation of filamentous feathers or scaly skin.

Pterosaurs as a group related to the Dinosauria and also archosaurs were included in the study. Although the fossil record is extremely poor, the team were able to conclude that, based on the probability analysis and the consensus tree that was constructed, it was likely that the ancestor of the dinosaurs was not feathered. In addition, the research suggests that although the majority of coelurosaurian theropods were indeed feathered to some degree, the majority of other dinosaurs were very probably not feathered.

Commenting on the research, one of the authors of the paper, Nicolás E. Campione (Uppsala University) stated:

“As palaeontologists we are at the mercy of available data, which given the interest in the field are ever changing. Our study shows that dinosaurs experimented extensively with their “outer look” and potentially independently along separate evolutionary lineages. That is what the data allows us to say at present.”

The Way Flying Reptiles (Pterosaurs) Were Assessed Affected the Results

Intriguingly, the single biggest influence on the feather versus scales debate in this analysis was the way in which the Pterosauria (flying reptiles) were treated. Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs, but a related group belonging to the archosaurs just like the Dinosauria. How closely related the pterosaurs are to the dinosaurs remains an area of controversy. This research showed that if the ancestor of the Pterosauria was assumed to be scaly then different feather probabilities in the Dinosauria resulted when compared with the study with a fuzzy Pterosaur ancestor included in the database.

Professor Paul Barrett, (Natural History Museum), one of the co-authors of this report summarised the team’s findings:

“Using a comprehensive database of dinosaur skin impressions, we attempted to reconstruct and interpret the evolutionary history of dinosaur scales and feathers. Most of our analyses provide no support for the appearance of feathers in the majority of non-avian dinosaurs and although many meat-eating dinosaurs were feathered, the majority of other dinosaurs, including the ancestor of all dinosaurs, were probably scaly.”

Feathered Dinosaurs

The biology of the dinosaurs is going to remain a hotly debated topic. Work such as this new study helps to move the debate forward by reflecting evidence put forward by new fossil discoveries. However, the fossil record is far from complete and conclusions such as the ones made in this research need to be tested in the light of further fossil finds that help to fill in important and significant gaps in our knowledge of the epidermal coverings of dinosaurs and their close relatives.

To read an article about a fossil find that suggests a Jurassic Ornithischian dinosaur was feathered: Kulindadromeus – Did All Dinosaurs Have Feathers?

A consequence of the inference that most coelurosaurian theropods were probably feathered is that the most famous dinosaur of all Tyrannosaurus rex may also have been covered in a coat of feathers. Perhaps a young T. rex had a shaggy coat of feathers to help keep it warm. As the animal grew and became more massive, the need to insulate its body (surface area to volume ratio), became less important. An adult Tyrannosaurus rex, however, may indeed have been feathered, at least in part.

As fossils of filaments and feathers are associated with low energy depositional environments and finely grained substrates (not a description readily given to much of the Hell Creek Formation), then palaeontologists may never find a feathered T. rex fossil.

CollectA Will Introduce a Feathered T. rex Model in the Summer of 2015

1:40 scale model of a feathered T. rex.

To view the CollectA scale model range and the feathered T. rex (from late summer 2015): CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.

3 06, 2015

Jurassic June – Jurassic World and the Velociraptors

By Mike|2023-03-30T15:14:32+01:00June 3rd, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Movie Reviews and Movie News|4 Comments

Velociraptors Depicted as Pack Hunters in the Jurassic Park Franchise

As we build up to the premier of the eagerly awaited “Jurassic World” movie, the fourth in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, team members at Everything Dinosaur have been writing a series of articles about the prehistoric animals that feature. Today, we look at a dinosaur that has appeared in all of the films under the “Jurassic Park” brand, the fearsome, formidable Velociraptor.

Involved in all Four Movies – Velociraptor

An aerial view of the Papo Velociraptor models. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Jurassic World and Velociraptors

It has been a few years since team members read the original “Jurassic Park” novel, but Velociraptors do feature in the book. They are depicted as intelligent, cunning and very dangerous pack hunters, themes which have run consistently through all the movies and in “Jurassic World”, the character Owen Grady, played by Chris Pratt has three trained Velociraptors. Owen regards himself as the “alpha member” of this Velociraptor pack.

However, two big criticisms have been put forward concerning the way the “raptors” are depicted:

They are far to big to be Velociraptors
They don’t have feathers

Let’s briefly deal with these in turn.

Size is Important

The genus Velociraptor currently consists of two species, both of which come from Asia. Within the Everything Dinosaur database, we cite Velociraptor fossil material coming from Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia) and Russia. Although the classification of the subfamily known as the Velociraptorinae remains fluid with several revisions having been made to dinosaurs regarded as the “raptors” the dromaeosaurids, in the last decade or so, the raptors in the film and in the original book, written by Michael Crichton, are all referred to as Velociraptors.

These animals are depicted as six-foot-tall dinosaurs. In reality, this is much bigger than either V. mongoliensis or the more recently described Velociraptor osmolskae.

A Scale Drawing Showing Velociraptor mongoliensis Compared to an Adult Man

Vicious Velociraptor.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

In the novel, first published in 1990, one of the lead geneticists Dr Henry Wu, a character played by B.D. Wong, in the movie franchise, states that the Velociraptors were created using DNA extracted from amber discovered in Mongolia. So far so good, but at the time of writing, Michael Crichton would have been aware of the size ranges given for Velociraptors in academic journals, after all, the first scientific description of V. mongoliensis took place in 1924.

The Velociraptor Genus

Velociraptor was certainly not as big as depicted in the films. It stood around one metre high and it would have been perhaps 1.8 metres to 2.3 metres long, perhaps a fraction longer. Most of its body length was made up of that long, straight tail supported by a network of tendons. Body mass estimates do vary, but a maximum weight of around twenty-five kilogrammes is often cited. We at Everything Dinosaur tend to air on the more cautious side of the debate, stating a body weight of around fifteen kilos. That is much lighter than an emu for example, think of a Velociraptor being as heavy as three domestic geese.

Knowing this, you can understand if film executives ended up subjecting Velociraptor to some “Hollywood growth hormones” to make the dinosaurs a little more scary.

Writing the Book/Researching the Characters

The research undertaken by the highly talented Gregory S. Paul is often stated as a reference source for Michael Crichton when he was researching his dinosaur characters. As Michael prepared to write his book, he may have come across references to a potentially, much larger “raptor” from Mongolia discovered by a joint Mongolian/Russian expedition in 1989 which set out to explore vertebrate fossils in the Upper Cretaceous Bayan Shireh Formation located in south-east Mongolia (Dornogovi Province). These fossils were scientifically described in 1999, after the book had been published and the films “Jurassic Park” and the sequel “The Lost World” had been released in cinemas.

The fossils represent a very big dromaeosaurid dinosaur. It has been named Achillobator giganticus and at around five metres long it represents the biggest “raptor” found to date in Asia.

An Illustration of a Large Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur Like Achillobator

Big dromaeosaurids did live in Mongolia.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

So there were certainly some very large, dromaeosaurid dinosaurs about, several species more than six foot tall.

Jurassic World and Velociraptors

No Feathers

Although the evolutionary relationship between meat-eating dinosaurs and birds has been debated for over 140 years, at the time of writing “Jurassic Park”, very little fossil evidence had been put forward that added weight to the feathered dinosaur theory. The first papers detailing proto-feathers and quills were published in the late 1980s but it was not until the rich fossil finds of Liaoning Province in China began to be much more widely publicised that feathers in dinosaurs came to wider public attention.

A number of feathered dinosaurs are known, the majority of them meat-eating theropods. It had been thought that only the lizard-hipped Theropoda, those dinosaurs that were more closely related to birds had feathers. Recent discoveries, have challenged this theory and feathers have been identified in ornithischian (bird-hipped dinosaurs) too.

To read about a recent discovery of a feathered, bird-hipped dinosaur: Kulindadromeus – Did All Dinosaur Have Feathers?

Dromaeosaurid Dinosaurs with Feathers

The first dromaeosaurid dinosaur described with feathers was Sinornithosaurus millenii which was named and described in 1999, nine years after “Jurassic Park” was first published and two years after the film sequel “The Lost World” had been released. As Velociraptor fossils are associated with coarse and medium grained sandstones, feather preservation may not have been possible in this substrate. No feathered Velociraptor specimens have ever been found. Feathers in the Velociraptorinae subfamily are inferred as related dromaeosaurid dinosaurs are known to have possessed feathers.

Forgiving the Film Makers

What we can say about the Velociraptors depicted in the book and the subsequent films, is that they are seen as social, pack animals, which are very agile and fearsome predators. The fossil evidence uncovered so far certainly supports this. Fossilised tracks suggest pack behaviour in these types of dinosaur to read about this: “Raptor” Tracks Indicate Pack Behaviour.

Our knowledge of these types of dinosaurs is growing all the time.

To read about a newly described (May 2015) species of North American dromaeosaur: Saurornitholestes sullivani – Sniffing Out a New Dinosaur Species.

Can we recommend top quality Velociraptor models for dinosaur fans? Check out the Velociraptor models here: Beasts of the Mesozoic Articulated Dinosaur Models.

Similar to the Velociraptors Seen in the Movies

Papo Velociraptor dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the Papo model range including dinosaur figures: Papo Prehistoric Animal Models.

31 05, 2015

The Bony Past of Sharks a Unique Insight

By Mike|2024-05-05T14:16:19+01:00May 31st, 2015|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page|0 Comments

Australian Shark Fossil Discovery – Sharks Have a Bone to Pick with Palaeontologists

A fossil discovery made in Western Australia may help palaeontologists to piece together the early evolutionary history of the shark family. It seems that the very first sharks may have had bony skeletons, only later did this group evolve a skeleton entirely made up of cartilage.

Fish – Very Successful Vertebrates

Fish are the most specious of all the vertebrates. There are more species of fish alive today, than amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species combined. Fishes are certainly very diverse, but if we set aside the jawless fish for a moment (the agnathans), plus one or two other extinct groups and focus on the jawed types, fish can be split into two specific clades.

Chondrichthyes – fish with cartilage for a skeleton (sharks and rays)
Osteichthyes – fish with bony skeletons, this is the group that gave rise to the other types of vertebrates mentioned above – the amphibians, reptiles etc.

The Evolution of Sharks

Sharks may have been around for some 400 million years but fossils of these early sharks are extremely rare and many species have been identified from very fragmentary evidence, isolated teeth, preserved scales and even dorsal spines. A team of Australian scientists have published a paper in the academic journal “PLOS One” that details the discovery of a remarkable ancient shark fossil, one that dates from around 380 million years ago and suggests that early sharks may have had bony skeletons before evolving the cartilaginous form that we know today.

The Gogo Formation

The fossil discovery was made in July 2005 and the specimen comes from the Gogo Formation Lägerstatte of the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The strata represents an ancient tropical reef environment and dates from the Frasnian faunal stage of the Late Devonian (380-385 million years ago). This location contains the richest, most diverse and best-preserved fish fossils found in Upper Devonian rocks anywhere in the world. Professor John Long (School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide), commented that this fossil specimen represents a transitional form of shark, from one with a bony internal skeleton to the more “modern” forms we find today with their skeletons entirely made up of cartilage.

Professor John Long Holding the Fossil Specimen (2005)

The professor holds the precious find.

Picture credit: Flinders University

Primitive Shark

It had been thought that the sharks and rays represented a more primitive fish lineage when compared to their bony cousins. However, a series of discoveries coupled with new research has led many palaeontologists to suggest that it is the Chondrichthyes that represent the more advanced, derived evolutionary route.

Professor Long commented:

“Our shark more or less nails that theory, because here we have a heavily mineralised type of cartilage in the skeleton, which contains remains of bone cells.”

This is the first shark specimen to be discovered in the Gogo Formation, a fossil rich marine deposit that has been studied for more than six decades.

A Close up of the Fossil Material (Lower Jaws) Prior to Full Preparation

Scale bar = 1 cm

Picture credit: PLOS One

The Fossil Material

The fossil material consists of the jaws, parts of the shoulder girdle along with teeth and scales. It is difficult to estimate the actual size of the shark, but Everything Dinosaur estimate that this specimen represents a fish that would have been perhaps around the size of a Smallspotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), which is a common shark in British waters and grows to 60-80 centimetres long.

The picture above shows the remains of the lower jaws, which consist of cartilage and bone. In extant Chondrichthyans (fish with cartilaginous skeletons), the lower jaws are formed entirely from cartilage, this is referred to as Meckelian cartilage. However, in mature Osteichthyans (bony fish) and all tetrapods the cartilage becomes covered in bone.

To remove the fossil from the surrounding matrix, a team at Museum Victoria (Melbourne), bathed the specimen in a solution of 10% acetic acid. This acid etching technique exposed the jaws, other elements of the skeleton as well as teeth and scales. This is the first time a Devonian shark specimen has been prepared in this way.

The Fossil During Preparation (B) and Fully Prepared (C)

Diagram B scale = 1 cm
Diagram C scale = 1 cm

Picture credit: PLOS One

The picture above shows the specimen (B) during early acid bath preparation, whilst (C) shows the Meckelian cartilage once it has been removed from the surrounding rock.

Gogoselachus lynbeazleyae

The species has been named Gogoselachus lynbeazleyae. The genus nomenclature comes from the name of the geological formation and the Greek “selachos” which means shark. The trivial name honours neuroscientist Professor Lyn Beazley (University of Western Australia), in acknowledgement of her role as an ambassador for science.

As a bath of acetic acid had been used to recover the specimen, the fossil was left in three-dimensions, almost perfect, this enabled the research team to identify bone cells in the remains of the calcified cartilage.

A “Missing Link”

Professor Long explained that the fossil could be almost described as a “missing link” in shark evolution. It showed that early sharks had a lot more bone in their skeleton and that just before modern sharks evolved they lost the bone, with only the soft cartilage remaining. The professor stated that this indicates a direction in their evolution that shows that sharks are much more specialised than previously thought.

In addition, the acetic acid bath revealed a array of loose teeth, this Late Devonian shark was clearly a predator, but the Australian research team were unable to shed much light on precisely what it might have eaten.

A G. lynbeazleyae Tooth (Gogo Formation, Western Australia)

A = Lingual view
B = Labial view

Picture credit: PLOS One

The picture above shows one of the larger teeth found in association with the other body fossils. The top picture (A) shows the tooth in lingual view (the side adjacent to the tongue), picture B shows the labial view, a view of the teeth on the mandible that would face the cheeks or lips.

With the discovery of this first shark fossil from the site, Professor Long and his field team hope to return to the location later on this year in a bid to find more evidence of ancient sharks.