SilesianTriassic

Sauropterygia indet. cf. Nothosaurus vertebra centrum

Middle Triassic (Anisian), Lower Muschelkalk, Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland

I must admit, this is one of the best prep of a Sauropterygian vertebra centrum I’ve ever made. Finally, the center “popped” out of the matrix without damage. I glued it in place with Palaroid B72. This allows it to be detached with a little acetone if necessary.

The vertebra centrum of Nothosaurus is slightly concave on both sides (see photo #2). In placodonts, the concavities are much deeper. If it were an ichthyosaur, the vertebrae would be much flatter, and the concavity would extend all the way through. Those reptiles are significantly rarer in Upper Silesia Muschelkalk sediments.