Fossil Friday: private collector wanted a dinosaur skull, but got a huge, fossilized bony fish lung
Haven t we all fallen for this at one point in our lives?
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Researchers at the University of Portsmouth have run into the fossilized remains of an ancient bony fish the coelacanth out of sheer luck. Or bad luck, depending on who you’re asking.
The original slab as purchased. The coelacanth ossified lung in close proximity to a series of associated, but disarticulated wing elements of a large, but indeterminate pterosaur. Image credits University of Portsmouth.
In a break from our traditional story path for Fossil Friday, there won’t be much talk about anything being ‘unearthed’ today. That’s because the fossil in question is part of a private collection from a London aficionado. It was identified as having belonged to a species of coelacanth by Professor David Martill, a paleontologist from the University’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences,
Ideas, Inventions And Innovations
Massive Ancient Fish Rivaled Today s Great White Shark, Discovered by Accident
Fossilized remains of a fish that grew as big as a great white shark and the largest of its type ever found have been discovered by accident.
The new discovery by scientists from the University of Portsmouth is a species of the so-called ‘living fossil’ coelacanths which still swim in the seas, surviving the extinction that killed off the dinosaurs.
The discovery was purely serendipitous. Professor David Martill, a palaeontologist from the University’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, had been asked to identify a large bone in a private collection in London.
It was astonishing to deduce that this particular fish was enormous
Professor Martill
These marine animals can be found still swimming our seas, having survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.
Most surprising of all was the discovery occurred totally by accident.
Professor David Martill, a palaeontologist from the University’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, was asked to identify a large bone in a private collection in London.
Fossil discovery: Fossil coelacanth is an example of what a complete fish fossil coelacanth looks li (Image: University of Portsmouth)
Fossil discovery: This colourful image is a microscopic view of the bone showing the microscopic thin layers (Image: University of Portsmouth)