Pachypleurosauridae cf. Dactylosaurus
Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland
A beautiful specimen of a femur, probably from a Dactylosaurus. Dactylosaurus is the most abundant member of the Pachypleurosauridae in the Silesian Lower Muschelkalk. They were small, aquatic reptiles with basal, primitive adaptations to this environment
I found the bone in the condition shown in the photo. It required virtually no preparation. The eroded heads of the bones reveal the spongy structure of this part of the bone. The main part is significantly more compact and dense.
The holotype of Dactylosaurus gracilis (a natural mould of the skeleton) was found in Siemianowice Śląskie, Upper Silesia (MGUWR WR 3871s).
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