Category: Fossils
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, rib, 12/LMK
Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, rib Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A rib fragment from a marine reptile from the Sauropterygian group. It very likely belongs to Nothosaurus. Ribs are a common find in Silesian Muschelkalk deposits; complete finds are a completely different story. In this case, I was lucky – it…
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Parhybodus plicatilis, tooth, 3/UMK
Parhybodus plicatilis Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautifully preserved specimen of a antero-lateral tooth of Parhybodus plicatilis. This shark, unlike the genus Acrodus, was an active hunter, capturing prey with its sharp teeth. Its teeth are quite abundant in the Upper Silesian sediments of the Upper Muschelkalk, though not as common…
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Pistosaurus longaevus, tooth, 2/UMK
Pistosaurus longaevus Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland Pistosaurus were an intermediate form (though not considered a direct ancestor) between Nothosaurus and Plesiosaurus. They were the first known reptiles to move by underwater flight. While nothosaurids moved primarily by twisting their trunks (like modern crocodiles), the movement of pistosaurids resembled the swimming of…
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Acrodus sp. lateral tooth, 11/LMK
Acrodus sp. Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A beautiful specimen of a shark tooth from the genus Acrodus, with its crown and root preserved. The dentition of these durophagous sharks was heterodont—meaning the teeth varied in shape depending on their position in the jaw. This specimen is an example of a lateral…
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Colobodus sp. cf. chorzowiensis ganoid scale, 10/LMK
Colobodus sp. cf. chorzowiensis Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (anisian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautiful, complete ganoid scale, likely belonging to Colobodus chorzowiensis (yes, Von Meyer described this species based on specimens from Chorzów in Upper Silesia!). It’s the finest specimen I’ve found. Fish equipped with this type of scales were covered in a complete, flexible…
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Ptychoceratodus cf. medelungi tooth plate 9/LMK
Ptychoceratodus sp. cf medelungi Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (anisian), Upper Silesia, Poland An extremely rare specimen from the Lower Muschelkalk. A dental plate of a lungfish (Dipnoi). Ptychoceratodus is an extinct genus of lungfish that occurred from the Early Triassic to the Middle Jurassic. The fossil record usualy preserves dental plates (the fish had two…
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Pachypleurosauridae cf. Dactylosaurus, femur 8/LMK
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…
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Sauropterygia indet. cf. Nothosaurus vertebra centrum 7/LMK
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…
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Acrodus sp. tooth 6/LMK
Acrodus sp. Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland The photo shows a complete tooth (crown with root) from a Triassic shark of the genus Acrodus. At first glance, the specimen shows signs of damage. But in my opinion, that’s what’s most interesting about it! These aren’t traces of modern erosion.…
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Pachypleurosauridae vertebra 5/LMK
Sauropterygia ?Pachypleurosauridae indet. complete vertebra Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland The vast majority of fossil vertebrate specimens in the Silesian Muschelkalk are single, isolated bones. As for the vertebrae themselves, I most often encounter vertebral centra, sometimes neural arches. Complete vertebrae, however, are truly rare – almost always separated into…
