Sinodelphys szalayi Mammal Fossil

This picture is of a Sinodelphys szalayi (Luo, Ji, Wible & Yuan, 2003) mammal fossil. It was found in Liaoning China. The fossil dates to Lower Cretaceous Period (Barremien - 125 million years ago).  Fossil  displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France.  Image taken August 2016.

Learn more at their website: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/visit/lieux/galerie-paleontologie-anatomie-comparee-paleontology-and-comparative-anatomy-gallery

Calamoseris Coral Fossil

This image is of a Calamoseris coral fossil. It was found in Wagnon Ardennes France. The fossil dates to the Middle Jurassic Period. It was displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France.  Image taken 2009.

Learn more at their website: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/visit/lieux/galerie-paleontologie-anatomie-comparee-paleontology-and-comparative-anatomy-gallery

Placophyllia dianthus Coral Fossil

This image is of a Placophyllia dianthus coral fossil. It was found in Lirchingen Wurtemberg Germany. The fossil dates to the Middle Jurassic Period. It was displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France.  Image taken 2009.

Learn more at their website: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/visit/lieux/galerie-paleontologie-anatomie-comparee-paleontology-and-comparative-anatomy-gallery

Calamophyllia Coral Fossil

This picture is of a Calamophyllia sp. coral fossil at the Museo di Paleontologia at Sapienza University of Rome Italy. Corals like this existed in the Jurassic Period. The fossil was found in Monte Serra Colle Rufigno Bugnara Abruzzo Italy.







Learn more about the museum at: http://www.dst.uniroma1.it/musei/museo_paleontologia/index.htm








Image taken in June 2014.

Learn more about this type of fossil at University of Bristol site: http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/fossilgroups/anthozoa/record.html

Asiatherium reshetovi Mammal Fossil

Asiatherium reshetovi mammal fossil displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France. It was found in Barun Goyot Formation of Gobi Desert Basin in Mongolia. The fossil dates to Late Cretaceous Period. Image taken August 2016.
Learn more at their website: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/visit/lieux/galerie-paleontologie-anatomie-comparee-paleontology-and-comparative-anatomy-gallery

Info about this mammal at this link: http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=183890

Eomaia scansoria Mammal Fossil

Cast of Eomaia scansoria extinct mammal fossil displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France. It dates to the Lower Cretaceous Period (Barremian Age). The fossil was found in Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China. Image taken August 2016.

Learn more at their website: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/visit/lieux/galerie-paleontologie-anatomie-comparee-paleontology-and-comparative-anatomy-gallery

More information about the creature can be found on Wikipedia at this link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eomaia

Phareodus testis Fish Fossil

Phareodus testis bony tongue fish skeleton fossil displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, USA. It was found in Wyoming, USA. The fossil appears to be from the Green River Formation and dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Image taken July 2018.

Plecia Fly Fossil

Plecia sp. fly fossils ("twist fly") displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, USA. They were found in White Mountain Wyoming, USA. The fossils appear to be from Green River Formation and dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Image taken July 2018.

Boavus idelmani Snake Fossil (Cast)

Boavus idelmani snake cast fossil ("boa ancestor") displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, USA. It was found in Wyoming, USA. The fossil appears to be from Green River Formation, Fossil Butte Member and dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Image taken July 2018.

Learn more at the Fossil Butte National Monument Wyoming web site.

Platanus Leaf Fossil

Platanus sp. sycamore leaf fossil ("plane tree") displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, USA. It was found in Garfield County, Colorado, USA. The fossil appears to be from Green River Formation and dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Image taken July 2018.

Museum Fire

National Museum of Brazil on fire 2018-09-02
Photo by Felipe Milanez on Wikipedia Commons

Sad news in that the 200 year old National Museum of Brazil caught fire on September 2, 2018. The museum has over 20 million items in its archive including geological and fossil specimens. Hopefully, they had some digital records and images of the important items in the collection. This is the reason I am such a big proponent of digitizing collections in case something like this happens. Unfortunately, this museum suffered from funding issues which appears why they did not have a sprinkler system so I am guessing no budget for digital records either.

Indiana University Science Hall erected 1874 burned down 1883

Locally, Indiana lost quite a large collection of books and specimens in an 1883 fire. Indiana University had a 3 story building burn down due to a lightning strike. The building housed 14,000 volumes and 85,000 specimens in Owen Cabinet (named for geologists Richard and David Dale Owen). Learn more about this fire at this link. Oddly, a partial skeleton of a giant ground sloth Megalonyx jeffersonii survived but where it is today is not known (except for four of its bones ended up in the Indiana State Museum). Learn more at this link.

Indiana University Department of Geology Lecture Room circa 1904