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ULTRA RARE LARGE BLANCAN PLIOCENE AQUATIC VERTEBRATE LIFE FOSSIL BONE BED IN ROCK WITH TURTLE, FISH, SHARK AND CRUSTACEAN REMAINS IN SANDSTONE Suwannee River - Florida, U.S.A. PLIOCENE PERIOD ( BLANCAN ): 4.75 - 1.8 million years ago Vertebrate North American fossils from the Blancan Period are not commonly seen in private collections. There were many unusual beasts of this era, many that most people are not ever aware of. It was during this era that a land bridge was re-established between North and South America allowing an interchange of some amazing creatures between the two continents. Creatures that walked the earth during this time included apex predators such as various species of bone-crushing bear dogs, saber cats and possibly some of the prey they fed upon such as primitive three-toed horses, giant ground sloths and giant armadillos. Fossils that represent life from this period are prized amongst collections. This was a time in North America before the end of the last Ice Age. For marine life, it was the prime period of the existence of the Megalodon Shark - the most fearsome predator to have ever lived in the ancient seas. This is one of the most unusual and rare marine vertebrate bone bed specimens from southeastern North America we have ever seen in original matrix as it was discovered - a Blancan Period 'in situ" silicified matrix bone bed of aquatic life from southeast North America. It came from a site and layer, that yielded species of mega-fauna unique to this period of which those fossils were also found associated with this piece but in surrounding loose sand that did not become silicified as this piece did. A Blancan Period "in situ" specimen like this with the fossils embedded in a hardened aggregate sandstone matrix on limestone is virtually unheard of in southeastern North American deposits of any geological period much less during Blancan Period. Bone bed deposits are found in shell pits and river bottoms loose in sand or clay but this is an extremely rare example of when the fossil-bearing substrate of a river bottom becomes silicified to its limestone bed and entombs a myriad of the animals that died in it long ago. This is a silicified sand block on limestone of a number of fossils including remains of turtles, shark, fish and crustaceans. No amount of photos can capture the incredible dimension and 3D effect of this piece. It is truly a prize specimen for any museum wishing to exhibit a prehistoric aquatic life fossil bone bed in situ from North America - a type of specimen that in of itself, is extraordinarily rare. You can stare at this piece for hours and still find new fossils scattered densely throughout the piece. The most prominent fossils bones are large vertebrae and carapace pieces of the T. rex of freshwater turtles, the Alligator Snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii, unique to southeastern North America. This large predatory turtle lived in prehistory up to and including the final Ice Age and beyond, surviving extinction at the end of the Pleistocene Period. Fossils of this terrifying looking giant freshwater turtle can be found but they are almost always isolated fragments. A concentrated bed of bones like this is, with other associated fossil teeth and bones in the original matrix, is rare. Included also in this piece are smaller turtle bones, a small vertebra from some type of shark, carapace pieces from crustaceans, bones, fin spines and teeth of various panfish - a perfect cross-section of the major vertebrate life-forms of a Blancan Period river environment (likely brackish water due to the presence of the shark vertebra. This magnificent specimen was discovered in a large pocket of loose sand beneath a clay and limestone layer on the river bottom. The pocket yielded several smaller but this was the only silicified portion of the fossil-bearing bed that existed. We carefully exposed and cleaned the surface that is shown rich in fossils, with fine micro-abrasive tools. This fossil side was actually found upside down. The other side showing the typical pock-marked natural surface of the limestone was the side facing up. To allow safe-handling, we treated the bone and matrix with a consolidant but none of the bones were repaired or placed back in the positions as you see them. Everything about this piece is 100% ORIGINAL AS FOUND. We received the specimen as it was collected and all the lab work was performed by us in our own facility. NO RESTORATION OR FABRICATION and 100% ORIGINAL ASSOCIATION OF FOSSILS AS FOUND. This is an astonishing discovery and this specimen can best be summed up as FAR BEYOND the rarity of most vertebrate marine-life in-situ fossils. EXTREMELY RARE AND EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE TO VIEW! Macroclemys temminckii, or Alligator Snapping turtle is a species of the Macroclemys genus. The genus includes three species: the extant Macroclemys temminckii, the extinct Macroclemys schmidti and the extinct Macroclemys auffenbergi. M. schmidti is described from the early middle Miocene of Nebraska and M. auffenbergi from the middle Pliocene of Florida. This species dates back to prehistory but has survived the end of North America's last Ice Age. Today, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is found only in North America, predominantly in the warm southeastern states. The Alligator Snapping turtle can grow to large proportions with average full-grown weights around 175 pounds and a shell 26 inches long. Weight have been recorded at over 200 pounds. It is the largest freshwater turtle living in North America today. Their shell is made up of a series of pointed, heavy plates giving them the appearance of an armored dinosaur. These turtles are carnivores and scavengers, eating almost anything that comes their way. Unique only to the Alligator Snapping Turtle, their mouths are camouflaged inside and they employ a worm-like appendage that is used like a lure to attract small animals like fish, near their jaws where upon the turtle can bite down with extreme speed and force for a quick kill. The Alligator Snapping turtle has a very powerful set of jaws and one can easily and quickly lose a finger in careless handling of this primitive creature. RAREST AND MOST UNUSUAL FOSSIL BONE BED SPECIMEN WE HAVE EVER OFFERED - FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN A PIECE LIKE THIS!!! 16" x 15" overall SOLD TUR003 STAND INCLUDED Actual Item - One Only |
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