Lower Muschelkalk
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Protanystropheus antiquus cervical vertebra assoc. Reptilia indet. cervical rib, 20/LMK?
Protanystropheus antiquus (“Tanystropheus antiquus”) is an extremely rare find in Lower Muschelkalk sediments, whose systematic position is still uncertain.
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Placodontia indet., humerus fragment, 19/LMK
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Placodontia indet. Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds Upper Silesia, Poland The specimen is most likely a distal fragment of a humerus (upper arm bone). The broad, flattened head and the strongly pachyostotic bone structure indicate a placodont. A distinct groove is visible on the left side of the head, a feature noted by…
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Nothosaurus sp., left coracoid, 18/LMK
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Specimen of Nothosaurus sp., left coracoid in ventral view. Lower Muschelkalk, Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland
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Nothosaurus sp., vertebral neural arch, 17/LMK
Nothosaurus sp. Neural arch. Gogolin Beds. Upper Silesia. Poland – The specimen is a beautifully preserved neural arch (in dorsal view). Considering its shape and size, it can be fairly safely assigned to the genus Nothosaurus.
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Ichthyosauria indet. (cf. Mixosaurus sp.), vertebra centrum, 16/LMK
Ichthyosauria indet. (cf. Mixosaurus sp.) Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland Ichthyosaur remains are extremely rare in the Muschelkalk deposits of Upper Silesia. The photos show a single vertebral centrum – though slightly damaged, it clearly displays the diagnostic features that allow for its assignment to this group of extinct marine reptiles (most…
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, dorsal rib, 15/LMK
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus Middle Triassic, Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A rare find of a complete rib of this size from Sauropterygia indet. (probably Nothosaurus). The bone structure is clearly pachystotic – the rib is massive and the tissue dense. This structure is a primitive adaptation to aquatic life – the heavy bones acted as ballast,…
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, dorsal? vertebra centrum, 14/LMK
Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland An example of a Sauropterygian vertebra centrum (likely Nothosaurus sp.). This is a well-preserved, large specimen (for this region). The first photo shows the vertebra in lateral view. A nutrient foramen (vascular opening) through which blood vessels entered the bone is visible upon closer…
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Palaeobates angustissimus, tooth, 13/LMK
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Palaeobates angustissimus Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A tooth from another common shark from the Middle Triassic – Palaeobates angustissimus. These teeth measure usually no more than a few millimeters. This specimen is one of the largest in my collection. Palaeobates is another durophagous shark with dentition adapted for crushing hard prey.…
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, dorsal rib, 12/LMK
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Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, rib Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A dorsal rib proximal fragment from a marine reptile from the Sauropterygian group. It very likely belongs to cf. Nothosaurus. This is the most abundant taxa in the Silesian Muschelkalk deposits. Its size suggests an animal rather larger than Pachypleurosaurus. On…
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Acrodus sp. lateral tooth, 11/LMK
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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…
