This is the "Fossil Friday" post #83. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
-----------------------------------------------------
This week's stunning contribution comes from long time ESCONI member Dan Damrow. You may remember him as the owner and operator of Rib River Fossils at many ESCONI shows. Here is a picture of him setting up his booth at the 2001 CGMA Show. Awesome fossils, Dan.... thanks for sharing some photos with us!
He sent in some photos of tar pit fossils. Tar pits exist in many locations around the world. This page from the Natural History Museum of LA County documents some of the sites. Dan's beautiful specimens come from three different California sites - Rancho La Brea, Maricopa, and Carpinteria. The B.R.E.A.S. (Bridging Research and Education at Asphaltic Sites) Project researches these sites.
Our mission is to foster integrative research collaborations and build capacity at asphaltic fossil localities around the world. In addition to developing high-impact research collaborations with scientists working at other global tar seeps, the B.R.E.A.S. Project aims to provide student training, technical expertise, and collections support to local institutions involved in excavating, preparing, curating, and studying fossils from these localities by sponsoring staff and student exchanges between other institutions and La Brea Tar Pits. In addition, we seek to advance research programs and engage local communities by developing education and outreach programs to support local STEM education, to conserve and communicate the importance of these localities, and to support local institutions in advocating for the protection and preservation of their national fossil resources.
This triple dragonfly specimen comes from Maricopa Brea in Kern Co., California and is Late Pleistocene in age. Rancholebrean Stage (Late Pleistocene – same as the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. Very difficult to prep these and keep them intact.
The next specimen is a Dire Wolf skull. it's almost 12 inches long. Very massive compared to a modern timber or grey wolf. This is a very old specimen out of Rancho La Brea. Defining characteristics are the large size, massive carnassial molars, and large sagittal crest. Late Pleistocene, Rancholebrean Stage. California.
This is another La Brea Specimen. Note the comparison to a typical female grey wolf. The carnassials molars are massive. The Canis lupis is from an early archaic Bison occidentalis jump site in South Dakota.
Another neat specimen from Maricopa Brea. Raptor foot with articulated talons. Very unusual to find bird elements that are articulated. Again Late Pleistocene, Maricopa Brea, Kern Co., Ca.
Lastly, a spectacular closed-cone Pine Cone from the Carpinteria Asphalt Deposits, Late Pleistocene, Rancholeabrean Stage, nr. Santa Barbara, California.
