Tag: Fossil

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Fossil Spotlight: Pyritized Trilobite

Who: Triarthrus eatoni
Lagerstätte: Beecher’s Trilobite Bed (Ordovician, New York)
What: These trilobites are preserved through pyritization which gives them a golden hue. An underwater avalanche, called a turbidity current, carried the trilobites into deep waters and buried them. The shock of the cold water killed them. Anaerobic bacteria within the soil reacted to the influx of sudden food and began to feed on them. As they feed, they released hydrogen sulfide which reacted with the soil’s iron and produced pyrite. The pyrite replaced the organic tissues preserving the legs, antennae, and internal organs. This makes these trilobites highly valuable in understanding what they looked like as most trilobite fossils do not have these soft body parts.

References:
Briggs, Derek EG, Simon H. Bottrell, and Robert Raiswell. “Pyritization of soft-bodied fossils: Beecher’s trilobite bed, Upper Ordovician, New York State.” Geology 19.12 (1991): 1221-1224

If you would like to learn more check out my episode on Beecher’s Trilobite Bed: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1414057/5868751-beecher-s-trilobite-bed.mp3?blob_id=24181264&download=true

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Season 1

Season 1 Update

Hello everyone! It’s been a long time coming but I’m finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. After months of research and writing I’m finally recording and editing season 1 of Fossil Bonanza! I can’t tell you how happy I am that this massive project will finally be released. Bar any kind of major surprises Season 1 will be as follows

Episode 1: Paleontology and Lagerstatte Introduction
Episode 2: Beecher’s Trilobite Bed
Episode 3: Posidonia Shale
Episode 4: Amber Introduction
Episode 5: Dominican Amber
Episode 6: Jehol Biota Part 1
Episode 7: Jehol Biota Part 2
Episode 8: Naracoorte Caves

I wanted to choose five amazing fossil sites that come from different time periods, geographic locations, organisms preserved, and method of preservation. I feel that these five really encompasses the diversity that Lagerstatten can achieve.

No hard plans on a release date yet but these episode will be released every two weeks with episode 1 and 2 released simultaneously.

Also, looking for guest experts to talk about Lagerstatten particularly if it relates to the five I’m focusing on. So if you have studied these fossils and are willing to spend some time with me, send me a message!

That’s all for now!

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Fossil Spotlight

Fossil Spotlight: Narrow-Nosed Rhinoceros

File:Stephanorhinus etruscus skull.JPG
Skull of the Narrow-Nosed Rhinoceros, Stephanorhinus etruscus. Image from Ghedoghedo.

Who: The Narrow-Nosed Rhinoceros, Stephanorhinus
Lagerstätte: Binagadi Asphalt Seep in Azerbaijan and other places
What: Tar pits containing thousands of fossils are found across the world with the most famous being La Brea Tar Pits in California. One of these is the Binagadi Asphalt Seep in Azerbaijan. This trap is thought to be older than La Brea dated up to 190,000 years old compared to La Brea’s 60,000 year age. Many species of animals are found here including the cave lion, cave hyena, and Irish elk. Among the most famous is the narrow-nosed rhinoceros Stephanorhinus. A full mounted skeleton is on display at the Hasanbey Zardabi Natural History Museum in Baku. The skeleton was made of bones from different specimens from the tar pit. Stephanorhinus itself was rather common during its heyday and could be found in Europe all the way to East Asia.

References:
Huseynov, Said, and John M. Harris. “AZERBAIJAN’S FOSSIL CEMETERY.” Natural History 119.3 (2010): 16-21.

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Fossil Spotlight

Fossil Spotlight: Orb-Weaver Spider in Amber

Who: Pulchellaranea pedunculata
Lagerstätte: Dominican Amber
What: Pulchellaranea is an orb-weaver spider encased in amber from the Dominican Republic. Orb-weavers are the most common group of spiders who spin the wheel-shaped webs you see in your backyard, forests, and parks. Spiders are notoriously rare in the fossil record and over 90% of spider fossils are found in amber. Their rarity is due to their fragile nature and burial difficulties as their corpses tend to float on water and not sink. Spiders are more common in amber as it gently entombs them and minimizes decay. An ant, which are quite common in the Dominican Amber, joins this spider. Their proximity indicates they fell into the amber at the same time probably after a brief interaction.

Reference
-High def image from the New Yorker
-The same image can also be found in black and white along with a description of this species here
Poinar Jr, George. “Pulchellaranea pedunculata n. gen. n. sp.(Araneae: Araneidae), a new genus of spiders with a review of araneid spiders in Cenozoic Dominican amber.” Historical Biology 27.1 (2015): 103-108.

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Fossil Spotlight

Fossil Spotlight: Heliobatis radians

Who: Heliobatis radians
Lagerstätte: Green River Formation
What: Heliobatis is a freshwater stingray that lived in Wyoming during the Eocene period.  At the time, Wyoming used to be much warmer and wetter than it is today (think Louisiana) and was filled with freshwater lakes.  Stingrays are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks.  As such, its rare to have complete stingrays in the fossil record as they mostly lack hard parts; usually you would fine their teeth, scales or stings if you’re lucky.  However, the Green River Formation, where Heliobatis is found, is one of two places in the entire world with complete stingray fossils (and the only site with freshwater ones).  This is because the stingray’s lakes had a salty and anoxic bottom so when they died they fell to the bottom of the lake where they’re eventually burried and preserved almost to perfection.

File:Heliobatis radians, Lincoln County, Wyoming - Natural History Museum of Utah - DSC07176.JPG

Reference
“Freshwater stingrays of the Green River Formation of Wyoming (early Eocene), with the description of a new genus and species and an analysis of its phylogenetic relationships (Chondrichthyes, Myliobatiformes),” Carvalho et al. 2004
(Link is a download pdf provided by AMNH)