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Fossil Dealers
The fossil trade is the purchase and sale of fossils. This is at times done illegally with stolen fossils, and important scientific specimens are lost each year. The trade is lucrative, and many celebrities collect fossils. The fossil trade has attracted criticism from many paleontologists, who regard the private ownership of fossils to be damaging to science. History Ever since the early 19th century, there has been a considerable commercial interest in fossils. The increasing growth of the fossil market in recent decades is often traced back to the auction of the ''Tyrannosaurus'' skeleton known as Sue in 1997 for $8.3 million. According to the head of science and natural history at Christie's, James Hyslop, the market in fossils has been growing consistently since 2007. Due to the increased awareness of the lucrative nature of fossils, many landowners have become more reluctant to work with scientists, preferring to instead offer prospecting rights to the highest bidder. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trilobite Molting Bed From China
Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, existing in oceans for almost 270million years, with over 22,000 species having been described. Because trilobites had wide diversity and an easily fossilized mineralised exoskeleton made of calcite, they left an extensive fossil record. The study of their fossils has facilitated important contributions to biostratigraphy, paleontology, evolution, evolutionary biology, and plate tectonics. Trilobites are placed within the clade Artiopoda, which includes many organisms that are morphologically similar to trilobites, but are largely unmineralised. The relationship of Artiopoda to other arthropods is uncertain. Trilobites evolved into many ecological niches; some moved over the seabed as predators, scavengers, or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinosauridae
Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) is a clade or Family (taxonomy), family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia. Their remains have generally been attributed to the Early Cretaceous, Early to early Late Cretaceous. Spinosaurids were large Bipedalism, bipedal carnivores. Their crocodilian-like skulls were long, low, and narrow, bearing conical teeth with reduced or absent Glossary of dinosaur anatomy#serrations, serrations. The tips of their upper and Glossary of dinosaur anatomy#mandible, lower jaws fanned out into a spoon-shaped structure similar to a Rosette (design), rosette, behind which there was a Glossary of dinosaur anatomy#subnarial gap, notch in the upper jaw that the expanded tip of the lower jaw fit into. The Glossary of dinosaur anatomy#bony nostrils, nostrils of spinosaurids were retracted to a position further back on the head than in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarbosaurus Bataar
''Tarbosaurus'' ( ; meaning "alarming lizard") is a genus of large tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 70 million years ago (Maastrichtian age). It contains the single type species: ''Tarbosaurus bataar'', which is known from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia, with more fragmentary remains found further afield in the Subashi Formation of China. ''Tarbosaurus'' is represented by dozens of fossil specimens, including several complete skulls and skeletons. These remains have allowed studies focusing on its phylogeny, skull mechanics, and brain structure. Further fossil remains have been reported from other geologic formations of Asia, however, these remains are fragmentary and cannot be confidently assigned to ''Tarbosaurus'' or the type species. Like most known tyrannosaurids, ''Tarbosaurus'' was a large bipedal predator, with the type specimen measuring approximately long, tall at the hips, and weighing up to . It had a unique lock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stan (dinosaur)
"Stan", also known by its inventory number BHI 3033, is a Specimens of Tyrannosaurus, ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' fossil found in the Hell Creek Formation, Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota, just outside of Buffalo, South Dakota, Buffalo in 1987, and excavated in 1992. It is the fifth most complete ''Tyrannosaurus, T. rex'' fossil discovered to date, at more than 70% bulk. In October 2020, the fossil was sold for $31.8 million at auction, making it at the time the List of dinosaur specimens sold at auction, most expensive dinosaur specimen and fossil ever sold. This record stood until July 2024, when the ''Stegosaurus'' fossil Apex (dinosaur), Apex sold at auction for $44.6 million. In March 2022, Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism stated that they had acquired Stan and were planning on displaying the fossil at a new museum of natural history scheduled to open in 2025. Discovery Stan Sacrison, an amateur paleontologist, was responsible for the initial discovery of Stan' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeoraptor
"Archaeoraptor" is the informal generic name for a fossil chimera from China in an article published in ''National Geographic'' magazine in 1999. The magazine claimed that the fossil was a " missing link" between birds and terrestrial theropod dinosaurs. Even before this publication, there had been severe doubts about the fossil's authenticity. A further scientific study showed it to be a forgery constructed from rearranged pieces of real fossils from different species. Zhou ''et al.'' found that the head and upper body belong to a specimen of the primitive fossil bird ''Yanornis''.Zhou, Zhonghe, Clarke, Julia A., Zhang, Fucheng. "Archaeoraptor's better half." ''Nature'' Vol. 420. 21 November 2002. pp. 285. A 2002 study found that the tail belongs to a small winged dromaeosaur, ''Microraptor'', named in 2000. The legs and feet belong to an as-yet-unknown-animal.Holden, Constance. "Florida Meeting Shows Perils, Promise of Dealing for Dinos" ''Science'' 14 April 2000. Vol.288 no. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microraptor
''Microraptor'' (Greek language, Greek, μικρός, ''mīkros'': "small"; Latin language, Latin, ''raptor'': "one who seizes") is a genus of small, four-winged dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Numerous well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China. They date from the early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation (Aptian stage), 125 to 120 million years ago. Three species have been named (''M. zhaoianus'', ''M. gui'', and ''M. hanqingi''), though further study has suggested that all of them represent variation in a single species, which is properly called ''M. zhaoianus''. ''Cryptovolans'', initially described as another four-winged dinosaur, is usually considered to be a synonym of ''Microraptor''. Like ''Archaeopteryx'', well-preserved fossils of ''Microraptor'' provide important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and earlier dinosaurs. ''Microraptor'' had long pennaceous feathers that formed aerodynamic surfaces on the arms and tail but a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yanornis
''Yanornis'' () is an extinct genus of fish-eating Early Cretaceous birds. Two species have been described, both from Liaoning province, China: ''Yanornis martini'', based on several fossils found in the 120-million-year-old Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang, and ''Yanornis guozhangi'', from the 124-million-year-old Yixian Formation. Description ''Y. martini'' was the size of a chicken,Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2011) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages,'Winter 2010 Appendix./ref> had a long skull with about 10 teeth in the upper jaw and 20 teeth in the lower jaw, and was both able to fly and walk well, having a well-developed U-shaped furcula (wishbone). The absence of the prefrontal bone and the non- diapsid skull allows ''Yanornis'' to be classified as an ornithuromorph, a member of a group of stem-birds which also includes the common ancestor of living birds. Similarly, its scapula and coracoid had evolved the basic shape and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maxilla
In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxillary bones are fused at the intermaxillary suture, forming the anterior nasal spine. This is similar to the mandible (lower jaw), which is also a fusion of two mandibular bones at the mandibular symphysis. The mandible is the movable part of the jaw. Anatomy Structure The maxilla is a paired bone - the two maxillae unite with each other at the intermaxillary suture. The maxilla consists of: * The body of the maxilla: pyramid-shaped; has an orbital, a nasal, an infratemporal, and a facial surface; contains the maxillary sinus. * Four processes: ** the zygomatic process ** the frontal process ** the alveolar process ** the palatine process It has three surfaces: * the anterior, posterior, medial Features of the maxilla include: * t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenodens
''Xenodens'' (from Greek language, Greek and Latin for "strange tooth") is a potentially Nomen dubium, dubious extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It contains a single species, ''X. calminechari'' (From Arabic کالمنشار, meaning "like a saw"), which is known from Late Maastrichtian phosphate deposits in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco. Description Initial estimates suggested the fossil material could belong to an animal with a body length of around . The genus and type species were named for the purported short and flattened blade-like teeth that collectively form a set of saw-like jaws in this taxon. This is a strange feature that had never been seen in any other tetrapod but convergent evolution, converge with the jaws of modern Squaliformes, dogfish sharks and piranhas. In their 2021 Species description, description of this taxon, Longrich et al. hypothesized that these similarities were indicative of a broad diet of cephalopods, crustacea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mosasaurini
Mosasaurini is an extinct tribe of mosasaurine mosasaurs who lived during the Late Cretaceous and whose fossils have been found in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Oceania, with questionable occurrences in Asia. They are highly derived mosasaurs, containing genera like ''Plotosaurus'', having unique adaptations to fast swimming speeds, or ''Mosasaurus'', which is among the largest known marine reptiles. Classification The tribe was erected by Russell in 1967, stating that it is unified by having twelve or less pygal vertebrae and that the radius and ulna are widely separated by a bridge of carpalia on the distal border of the antebrachial foramen. But In a 1997 study, paleontologist Gorden Bell recovered ''Plotosaurus'', which was formerly classified within another tribe called the Plotosaurini, as a sister genus to ''Mosasaurus''. This rendered the Mosasaurini paraphyletic, which meant that it now contains a descendant lineage (Plotosaurini) that is not cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swiss Journal Of Palaeontology
The ''Swiss Journal of Palaeontology'' is a biannual open access peer-reviewed scientific journal covering palaeontology and taxonomy published by BioMed Central. It is affiliated with the Swiss Geological Society and a member of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. History The journal was established as ''Schweizerische Paläontologische Abhandlungen'' in 1874 and was published by the Natural History Museum of Basel. In 2011, it was relaunched as the ''Swiss Journal of Palaeontology'' and publisher became BioMed Central. Since 2020 the journal is open access. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexed in: According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2023 impact factor The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor (JIF) of an academic journal is a type of journal ranking. Journals with higher impact factor values are considered more prestigious or important within their field. The Impact Factor of a journa ... of 3.0. References Exte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Araripemys
''Araripemys'' is an extinct marine turtle genus from 112 to 109 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous Crato and Romualdo Formations of the Araripe Basin in northeastern Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population .... It is one of the oldest known pleurodires. References Pleurodira Prehistoric turtle genera Early Cretaceous turtles Albian life Prehistoric turtles of South America Early Cretaceous reptiles of South America Cretaceous Brazil Crato Formation Romualdo Formation Fossil taxa described in 1988 {{paleo-turtle-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
