Newly Discovered: Animal Fossils

[PeteByrdie]

Who’s the daddy?

This carbonised film was once a fish—one of the most ancient known to science. It is called Metaspriggina walcotti and dates from 505m years ago, the middle of the Cambrian period. It, and about 100 others like it, were collected recently from the Burgess Shale in British Columbia by Simon Conway Morris of Cambridge University and Jean-Bernard Caron of the University of Toronto. The researchers describe these unusual fish in a paper in Nature. Metaspriggina had large eyes (towards the left in the photograph) and, though boneless and therefore spineless, had a characteristic structure called a notochord running along its back to stiffen it. Backboned animals, too, have a notochord when they are embryos, though it disappears during development. Metaspriggina or one of its contemporaries was thus ancestral to mankind.

 

[ramonmercado]

The origins of scorpions are murky. The oldest of these arachnids (a group that also includes modern-day spiders, ticks, and mites) are known from fossils from Scottish rocks laid down between 433 million and 438 million years ago that show only their outlines. Now, well-preserved but slightly younger fossils from southwestern Ontario suggest that the animals originated in the seas—and may have been able to clamber onto shore well before the time scientists previously recognized. Those fossils—11 specimens in all—were entombed in sediments laid down on the shores of ancient lagoons between 430 million and 433 million years ago. And because all of them are of molted exoskeletons and not carcasses, the remains were too fragile to be washed to their final resting place from somewhere else, researchers suggest.

Thus, the remains were probably shed at the water’s edge and preserved there, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Anatomical traits of the new species back up that notion: The creature apparently didn’t have feeding structures enabling life on land. Yet the last segment of its legs was relatively short, allowing it to plant its “foot” flat, like modern-day scorpions, instead of walking on tiptoe like other water-dwelling scorpions of the era were presumed to do. The scorpion’s ability to fully support its own weight when out of water (and therefore escape solely aquatic predators) would have been a tremendous evolutionary benefit, the researchers note: As is the case with their modern-day kin, when the scorpions molted they would have been extremely vulnerable.

http://news.sciencemag.org/evolution/2015/01/first-scorpions-may-have-crawled-seas

 

[ramonmercado]

Earth's first big predatory monster was a weird water bug as big as Tom Cruise, newly found fossils show.

Almost half a billion years ago, way before the dinosaurs roamed, Earth's dominant large predator was a sea scorpion that grew to 170 centimetres (5 feet 7 inches), with a dozen claw arms sprouting from its head and a spike tail, according to a new study.

Scientists found signs of these new monsters of the prehistoric deep in Iowa, of all places.

Geologists at the Iowa Geological Survey found 150 pieces of fossils about 18 metres (60 feet) under the Upper Iowa River, part of which had to be temporarily dammed to allow them to collect the specimens. Then scientists at Yale University determined they were a new species from about 460 million years ago, when Iowa was under an ocean

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/g...en-earth-s-1st-big-predator-1.3211106?cmp=rss

 

[Jim]

Earth's first big predatory monster was a weird water bug as big as Tom Cruise, newly found fossils show.

Almost half a billion years ago, way before the dinosaurs roamed, Earth's dominant large predator was a sea scorpion that grew to 170 centimetres (5 feet 7 inches), with a dozen claw arms sprouting from its head and a spike tail, according to a new study.

Scientists found signs of these new monsters of the prehistoric deep in Iowa, of all places.

Geologists at the Iowa Geological Survey found 150 pieces of fossils about 18 metres (60 feet) under the Upper Iowa River, part of which had to be temporarily dammed to allow them to collect the specimens. Then scientists at Yale University determined they were a new species from about 460 million years ago, when Iowa was under an ocean

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/g...en-earth-s-1st-big-predator-1.3211106?cmp=rss

I beleive your referring to Pterygotus the largest sea scorpion (arthropod) of all time. This creature is supposed to have ambushed prey (trilobites, fish) and subdued them with its claws. Unlike other sea scorpions it was to large to leave the water. It's est. to have grown up to > 9' in length.

 

[Monstrosa]

No it's Pentecopterus decorahensis.

 

[Jim]

No it's Pentecopterus decorahensis.

Pentecopterus decorahensis fossils come from Iowa. How do you figure this was Pentecopterus decorahensis when the tracks were found in Scotland? The actual animal that made the tracts was called Hibbertopterus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8632427.stm

 

[PeteByrdie]

Earth's first big predatory monster was a weird water bug as big as Tom Cruise

So, not very big then!

The article has the headline:
"Human-sized Pentecopterus decorahensis attacked prey with claws attached to its head"

Make your minds up! Is it human sized or Tom Cruise sized? Okay, I'll leave it there. I've had nearly four months, and that's all I've come up with.

Pentecopterus decorahensis fossils come from Iowa. How do you figure this was Pentecopterus decorahensis when the tracks were found in Scotland?

We're mixing up two different stories on this thread. Let's take a moment to review the previous posts.

 

[Monstrosa]

Pentecopterus decorahensis fossils come from Iowa. How do you figure this was Pentecopterus decorahensis when the tracks were found in Scotland? The actual animal that made the tracts was called Hibbertopterus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8632427.stm

The post you quoted was about Pentecopterus decorahensis. Read the quote

 

[Jim]

The 1st portion of the URL I posted reads as follows below:

A cast is being made of tracks left by a two-metre long ancient animal in north east Fife.
The tracks were made by a giant six-legged "sea scorpion" called Hibbertopterus as it crawled over damp sand about 330 million years ago.
It is the largest known walking trackway of a eurypterid or any invertebrate animal.
...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibbertopterus

I don't know how to further clarify?

 

[Monstrosa]

Your post #15 quotes post#14 which is about Pentecopterus decorahensis.

Is that clear?

 

[Jim]

Your post #15 quotes post#14 which is about Pentecopterus decorahensis.

Is that clear?

My previous post 17 and 21 clearly state that the tracks were left by the eurypterid Hibbertopterus in Scotland. It seemed the purpose of the tread (if staying on topic) was the sensational find of the ancient invertebrate tracts.

This has nothing to do with Pentecopterus decorahensis which is completely separate species of eurypterid found in North America.

I will repost the URL's concerning Hibbertoperus and the tracks it left in Scotland one more time for clarity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8632427.stm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibbertopterus

 

[PeteByrdie]

My previous post 17 and 21 clearly state that the tracks were left by the eurypterid Hibbertopterus in Scotland.

Sorry Jim but you original post was this one, which was a response to Ramon's posting of this article, which was specifically and solely about Pentecopterus decorahensis. I don't think you read the article before responding.

 

[Andy X]

For what it's worth, a local news article about that Iowan species - an arthropod so large it even dwarfs Tom Cruise - now immortalised in a municipal artwork:

Waiting 467 million years for a starring role

'The object of all that media attention along the Upper Iowa River in Freeport on Thursday afternoon? That would be the statue of "Pentecopterus Decorahensis," the six-foot-long sea scorpion that roamed the area 467 million years ago'.
Full article here at decorahnews.com

 

[oldrover]

I love giant arthropods.

 

[Jim]

The whole family gives me the creeps. Here it compares a few to the size of a man. yuk

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/p/pterygotus.html

 

[Andy X]

Pterygotus:

5 foot head to tail
Carnivorous
'Good depth perception'

Gulp.

 

[Jim]

Pterygotus:

5 foot head to tail
Carnivorous
'Good depth perception'

Gulp.

Pterygotus, according to "The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life" by Tim Haines and Paul Chambers 9'2"

 

[Andy X]

 

[Mythopoeika]

I'm guessing they died out because their main food source also died out...they look ideally suited to survive anything really.

 

[Jim]

It may be the reference point at where they measure the beast. However there seems to be some contention as to which of these sea scorpions was the largest? This video present Jaekelopterus at 2.5 m from head to tail. I suppose be it 2.5 m or 3 m, they would all be frightening.

 

[oldrover]

As you say, big enough to be interesting.

 

[ramonmercado]

Texas fish of dinosaur era found to be new species
February 22, 2016 in Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

A 90-million-year-old fossil fish, currently on display at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, turns out to be a new species. Research conducted by Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D., professor at DePaul University and research associate of the Sternberg Museum, reveals the 5.5-foot-long fossil fish to possess a tuna-like body with a unique 'hook-shaped sail' on its back. The fish's new species name, Pentanogmius fritschi, is in honor of local amateur collector Joseph Fritsch. Credit: Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D.
A 90-million-year-old fossil fish, which has been on display at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, turns out to be a new species. Research conducted by Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D., professor at DePaul University in Chicago and research associate of the Sternberg Museum in Kansas, reveals the 5.5-foot-long fossil fish to possess a tuna-like body with a unique 'hook-shaped sail' on its back. The fish has been given a new species name, Pentanogmius fritschi, in honor of Joseph Fritsch, a local amateur collector who discovered the fossil, dug it up with the help of another avid fossil collector, Kris Howe, and donated it to the Perot Museum.

"At first glance, the specimen looked like a known Pentanogmius species, but when I began to trace the curved dorsal fin, its front half kept extending backwards far beyond where I thought it would end relative to its rear half. That's when I realized I have something new to science," said Dr. Shimada.

The fossil fish is a nearly complete skeleton from the Britton Formation of the Eagle Ford Shale in Dallas County. Dr. Shimada's study suggests that Pentanogmius fritschi was an active fish in open ocean environments that possibly fed on a variety of small animals like squid and other fish. ...

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-texas-fish-dinosaur-era-species.html

 

[Jim]

Texas fish of dinosaur era found to be new species
February 22, 2016 in Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

A 90-million-year-old fossil fish, currently on display at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, turns out to be a new species. Research conducted by Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D., professor at DePaul University and research associate of the Sternberg Museum, reveals the 5.5-foot-long fossil fish to possess a tuna-like body with a unique 'hook-shaped sail' on its back. The fish's new species name, Pentanogmius fritschi, is in honor of local amateur collector Joseph Fritsch. Credit: Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D.
A 90-million-year-old fossil fish, which has been on display at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, turns out to be a new species. Research conducted by Kenshu Shimada, Ph.D., professor at DePaul University in Chicago and research associate of the Sternberg Museum in Kansas, reveals the 5.5-foot-long fossil fish to possess a tuna-like body with a unique 'hook-shaped sail' on its back. The fish has been given a new species name, Pentanogmius fritschi, in honor of Joseph Fritsch, a local amateur collector who discovered the fossil, dug it up with the help of another avid fossil collector, Kris Howe, and donated it to the Perot Museum.

"At first glance, the specimen looked like a known Pentanogmius species, but when I began to trace the curved dorsal fin, its front half kept extending backwards far beyond where I thought it would end relative to its rear half. That's when I realized I have something new to science," said Dr. Shimada.

The fossil fish is a nearly complete skeleton from the Britton Formation of the Eagle Ford Shale in Dallas County. Dr. Shimada's study suggests that Pentanogmius fritschi was an active fish in open ocean environments that possibly fed on a variety of small animals like squid and other fish. ...

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-texas-fish-dinosaur-era-species.html

Nice bite to eat for a Mosasaur.

 

[Daenarys]

Thank you for sharing this!

It took me a moment to remember that North America in that period was divided in two at that point, the Appalacians and the Rockies separated by an expanse of sea. Shallow seas, if I recall correctly. I wonder if that tells us a fair bit about this fish's lifestyle, and possibly feeding habits?

 

[ramonmercado]

Paleontologists discover 250-million-year-old new species of reptile in Brazil
March 11, 2016 in Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

An international team of scientists, from three Brazilian universities and one UK university, have discovered a new fossil reptile that lived 250 million years ago in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil. The species has been identified from a mostly complete and well preserved fossil skull that the team has named Teyujagua paradoxa.

The fossil was discovered in the beginning of 2015 by a team from the Paleobiology Laboratory of the Universidade Federal do Pampa (Unipampa), in a Triassic rock exposure near the city of São Francisco de Assis. This discovery, published today in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group), helps to clarify the initial evolution of the group that gave rise to dinosaurs, pterosaurs (flying reptiles), crocodiles and birds.

The name Teyujagua comes from the language of the Guarani ethnic group and means 'fierce lizard'. It references a mythological beast called Teyú Yaguá, usually depicted as a lizard with a dog´s head.Teyujagua is very different from other fossils from the same age. Its anatomy is intermediate between the more primitive reptiles and a diverse and important group called 'archosauriforms'. Archosauriformes include all the extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs, along with modern day birds and crocodiles.

The discovery of Teyujagua is important because it lived just after the great Permo-Triassic mass extinction event that occurred 252 million years ago. This extinction wiped out about 90 per cent of all species then living and was probably triggered by giant and intense volcanic eruptions in the eastern part of what is now Russia. ...

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-paleontologists-million-year-old-species-reptile-brazil.html

 

[ramonmercado]

A team of researchers from the U.S., Germany and the U.K. has used modern technology to reveal the true nature of an ancient arachnid. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B the team describes the ancient creature as "almost a spider."

Back in the 80's a team of researchers discovered a host of fossils in a part of what is now eastern France, but at least one of them was only partly visible because the rest of its body was encased in ironstone. Because attempting to remove the dense opaque stoneware would have destroyed the fossil, researchers simply put it in a drawer and waited for technology to develop that would allow for examining the fossil while still inside the stone. In this new effort, the researchers have used technology similar to medical CT scans to allow for creating 3D imagery of the fossil and in so doing have added another piece to the puzzle of how spiders evolved.

The fossil, named Idmonarachne brasieri was dated to approximately 305 million years ago, putting it before the dinosaurs, and it resembles modern spiders in many ways, but is missing one critical part: an organ for spinning silk. The fossil also did not have a tail-like appendage, which has been found on other arachnids of nearly the same time period, which suggested that it was a unique species, one that is believed to have gone extinct as its cousins continued to evolve into modern spiders. Because of its age and body structure, the specimen is helping scientists learn more about the manner in whichspiders evolved. They believe it is one of the closet relatives without actually being a true spider. The 1.5cm arachnid was also found to have impressive jaws, which further helped prove it was a unique species.

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-ancient-fossil-bridge-early-arachnids.html

 

[ramonmercado]

Ten million years ago, a green and black snake lay coiled in the Spanish undergrowth. Once, paleontologists would have been limited to the knowledge they could glean from its colorless fossil remains, but now they know what the snake looked like and can guess how it acted. Researchers reporting on March 31 in Current Biology have discovered that some fossils can retain evidence of skin color from multiple pigments and structural colors, aiding research into the evolution and function of color.

So far, scientists filling the ancient-Earth coloring book with pigment have been limited to browns, blacks, and muddy reds when melanin lasts as organic material. No other pigments have been shown to survive fossilization. But this snake's skin was fossilized in calcium phosphate, a mineral that preserves details on a subcellular level.

The fossilized snakeskin maintained the unique shapes of different types of pigment cells, which would have created yellows, greens, blacks, browns, and iridescence while the animal was alive. The pigments themselves are now decayed, but with the cell shapes—specific to each kind of pigment—mineralized, there's enough information to reconstruct their colors.

"When you get fossil tissues preserved with this kind of detail, you're just gobsmacked when you're looking at it under the microscope," says first author Maria McNamara, a paleobiologist at University College Cork. "I was astounded. You almost can't believe what you're seeing." ...

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-fossilized-snake-true.html



Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-03-fossilized-snake-true.html#jCp

 

[Swifty]

Weird fossils ..

http://wizzed.com/17-weirdest-fossi...utbrain&utm_campaign=weirdestfossilseverfound

 

[oldrover]

Interesting array of fossils. Sadly, not a very accurate description posted for many of them.

 

[oldrover]

Not new, six years old, but still interesting and I don't think it's been posted here before;

"Meiolaniid or horned turtles are members of the extinct Pleistocene megafauna of Australia and the southwest Pacific. The timing and causes of their extinction have remained elusive. Here we report the remains of meiolaniid turtles from cemetery and midden layers dating 3,100/3,000 calibrated years before present to approximately 2,900/2,800 calibrated years before present in the Teouma Lapita archaeological site on Efate in Vanuatu".


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2932593/

There were Australian Pleistocene species that got very big, a couple of meters in length.

With horned heads, and a fused 'club' section at the end of the tail.