The seabed from 240 million years ago. Visible is a nothosaurid tooth and a fragment of a gastralium.

SilesianTriassic

Tag: Ladinian

  • Parhybodus plicatilis, anterior tooth, 8/UMK

    Parhybodus plicatilis, anterior tooth, 8/UMK

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    A well-preserved specimen of the anterior slender tooth of the hybodont shark Parhybodus plicatilis.

  • Acrodus sp, tooth, 7/UMK

    Acrodus sp, tooth, 7/UMK

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    A beautifully preserved tooth crown from Acrodus sp.. The root is missing, suggesting it was much less durable than the crown itself. In fact, these occasionally broken (though still recognizable) crowns are often the only identifiable elements in the “fishy mess” of vertebrate remains I encounter.

  • Pistosaurus longaevus, vertebra, 6/UMK

    Pistosaurus longaevus, vertebra, 6/UMK

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    Pistosaurus longaevus Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautiful specimen of a nearly complete vertebra of Pistosaurus longaevus. Interestingly, and extremely rarely, despite signs of mechanical erosion, the neural arch is preserved. The first two photos clearly show the neural canal filled with gray matrix. The well-preserved articular surfaces (facets) are slightly…

  • Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, tooth, 5/UMK

    Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, tooth, 5/UMK

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    Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland The largest Sauropterygian tooth in my collection. Unfortunately, the specimen’s preservation leaves something to be desired, especially since the apex of the tooth is missing. In any case, a tooth of this size must have belonged to a large individual. Obtaining it required considerable…

  • Acrodus lateralis, tooth, 4/UMK

    Acrodus lateralis, tooth, 4/UMK

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    Acrodus lateralis Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautifully preserved tooth crown from the hybodont shark Acrodus lateralis. The teeth of this species are smaller than those of Acrodus gaillardoti, with more refined ornamentation. The delicate, yet distinct, branching ridges converge to a keel that runs the entire length of the tooth.…

  • Parhybodus plicatilis, tooth, 3/UMK

    Parhybodus plicatilis, tooth, 3/UMK

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    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…

  • Pistosaurus longaevus, tooth, 2/UMK

    Pistosaurus longaevus, tooth, 2/UMK

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    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…

  • Acrodus gaillardoti tooth 1/UMK

    Acrodus gaillardoti tooth 1/UMK

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    Acrodus gaillardoti? Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland Acrodus teeth are quite common in the Upper Muschelkalk sediments of Silesia, much more common than remains of other cartilaginous fishes (at least that’s my impression). Acrodus was a durophagous shark – it fed on armored prey. For this reason, its teeth do not resemble…