Tag: Anisian
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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…
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Colobodus cf. chorzowiensis ganoid scale, 10/LMK
Colobodus 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 “armor”.…
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Ptychoceratodus sp., dental plate, 9/LMK
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A dental plate of a Triassic lungfish (Dipnoi) – probably Ptychoceratodus sp.. A very rare specimen from the Lower Muschelkalk of Upper Silesia,.
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Sauropterygia indet., femur 8/LMK
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Sauropterygia indet. Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland An isolated femur of Sauropterygia indet. The damaged (eroded) epiphysis reveals a spongy bone structure in this area (the shaft, in turn, is unusually dense). Those are characteristic features of Sauropterygia long bones. The specimen lacks features that would allow for a more…
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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
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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.…