Tharrhias Fish Fossil

 

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Tharrhias sp. (Jordan & Branner, 1908). The name means "bold one" and is related to a modern milkfish (Chanos). It was found at Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil and dates to the middle Cretaceous Period (110 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 12618R.

Genus was named for American geologist John Casper Branner (1850-1922). David Starr Jordan (1851-1931).

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Araripichthys castilhoi Fish Fossil

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Araripichthys castilhoi (Silva Santos, 1985). It was found at Chapada do Araripe, Ceara, Brazil and dates to the middle Cretaceous Period (110 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 12576.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Neoproscinetes penalvai Fish Fossil

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The fossil was named Neoproscinetes penalvai (Silva Santos, 1970). It was found in (Santana Formation?) Chapada do Araripe, Ceara, Brazil and dates to the Middle Cretaceous Period (110 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 11845.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

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

Hemiptera heteroptera Insect Fossil

Here is a picture of a Hemiptera heteroptera insect fossil at the Museo di Paleontologia at Sapienza University of Rome Italy. Creatures like this existed at the time of the upper/late Cretaceous Period (ICS geological timescale: Cenomanian). Fossil was found in Cearà, Brazil.

Image taken in June 2014.

Blatta indeterminata Insect Fossil

Here is a picture of a Blatta indeterminata insect fossil at the Museo di Paleontologia at Sapienza University of Rome Italy. Creatures like this existed at the time of the upper/late Cretaceous Period (ICS geological timescale: Cenomanian). Fossil was found in Cearà, Brazil.

Image taken in June 2014.

Prestosuchus Cast Skeleton

Prestosuchus cast skeleton shown in this image is a rauisuchian archosaur that is related to crocodiles. It existed in the Late Triassic in the area now known as Brazil, South America. The creature was named by Friedrick von Huene(1875-1969) in 1938. He named it in honor of Brazilian paleontologist Vicentino Prestes de Almeida (1900-1954).

Learn more at wikipedia.org.

This cast skeleton was part of the Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and Science in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were photographed in August 2013. The dinosaur exhibit was created by the Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto Canada.

The exhibit was supported by Associate Exhibit Sponsor Frisch's restaurant and Promotional Partners Cincinnati Reds baseball, newspaper The Enquirer and TV channel Local 12 WKRO Cincinnati.

Stereosternum Reptile Fossil

Here is the original fossil skeleton of a Stereosternum sp. It is specimen ROM 29592 at the Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto, Canada. It dates to the Early Permian Period (about 280 million years ago) and was found in Brazil. It is in the Order of Mesosauria and Family of Mesosauridae.

Learn more about it at wikipedia.org and www.reptileevolution.com.

This fossil was part of the Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and Science in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was photographed in August 2013. The dinosaur exhibit was created by the Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto Canada.

The exhibit was supported by Associate Exhibit Sponsor Frisch's restaurant and Promotional Partners Cincinnati Reds baseball, newspaper The Enquirer and TV channel Local 12 WKRO Cincinnati.

Mesosaurus brasiliensis Aquatic Reptile Fossil

The aquatic reptile fossil pictured is a Mesosaurus brasiliensis  found in the Irati Formation of Brazil. It dates back 280 million years ago (Lower Permian Period). The museum display lists this fossil as one that shows the transition of reptiles to a freshwater environment. It also shows that the continents Africa and South America were connected since this creature's fossils are only found in those two places.

The reptile was thought to its narrow teeth rowed mouth was used to catch fish and other small aquatic creatures. It swam though the water using is long tail and paddle shaped limbs.

The fossil was loaned by Robert H. Osher family to the museum for exhibit.

Fossil on display at Cincinnati Museum of Natural History & Science as of August 2013.

Iansan beurleni Ray or Guitarfish-like Fossil

The sea ray or guitarfish-like fossil pictured is an Iansan beurleni found in the Santana Formation of Brazil. It dates back 100 million years ago (Lower Cretaceous Period). This fossil might also be known by the name Rhinobatos beurleni (1968) as seen on the Henskens Fossils web site. Refer to 1996 paper on subject The new genus Iansan (Chondrichthyes, Rhinobatoidea) from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil and its phylogenetic relationships by Paulo M. Brito and Bernard Seret.

The fossil is part of the Cincinnati Museum Center collection (accession number VP7189). It was gift to the museum from Charles Fleischmann.

Fossil on display at Cincinnati Museum of Natural History & Science as of August 2013.

Polished Slabs at Carnegie Museum

To begin 2012, a tack away from fossils will be taken temporarily for some geological eye candy. The Hillman Hall of Minerals of Gems at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History has a beautiful display of illuminated mineral slices. This posting shows just a few so you will need to visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in person to truly appreciate the beauty of these specimens. The first is an agate and amethyst piece from Brazil. Followed by another Brazilian piece of "bullseye" agate.

This next is is of a cross section of fire opal from Mexico.

This multi-shaded purple specimen is a piece of rhodochrosite from Argentina.

The following image is of an agate from Brazil.

This next picture is of a nephrite jade found in New Zealand.

The last image is of liddicoatite from Madagascar.