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Anton Chico Formation
The Anton Chico Formation is a geologic Formation (geology), formation exposed in New Mexico that was deposited in the Anisian Age (geology), Age of the middle Triassic Period (geology), Period. Description The formation consists mostly of very fine to medium-grained, red-brown to gray-red sandstone with minor silty mudstone and conglomerate (geology), conglomerate, including a basal conglomerate bed. The total thickness of the formation is at the type section. The formation is exposed along the Pecos River as far south as Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The formation is overlain by the Santa Rosa Formation, New Mexico, Santa Rosa Formation and lies on the Artesia Group. Fossils The Anton Chico Formation was originally correlated with the Holbrook Member of the Moenkopi Formation based on the finding of ''Eocyclotosaurus'' in the formation. The formation also contains the trace fossil ''Isopodichnus'' and traces of actinopterygian fish in coprolites. Amphibian fossils are abundant and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geological Formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by Abraham Gottlob Wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pecos River
The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet (3,700 m). The river flows for 926 miles (1,490 km) before reaching the Rio Grande near Del Rio. Its drainage basin encompasses about 44,300 square miles (115,000 km2).Largest Rivers of the United States USGS The name "Pecos" derives from the (Native American language) term for the |
Rauisuchidae
Rauisuchidae is a group of large (up to or more) predatory Triassic archosaurs. There is some disagreement over which genera should be included in Rauisuchidae and which should be in the related Prestosuchidae and Poposauridae, and indeed whether these should even be thought of as separate valid families. Rauisuchids occurred throughout much of the Triassic, and may have first occurred in the Early Triassic if some archosaurian taxa such as ''Scythosuchus'' and ''Tsylmosuchus'' are considered to be within the family. An early cladistic analysis of crocodylotarsan (pseudosuchian) archosaurs included ''Lotosaurus ''Lotosaurus'' is an extinct genus of sail-backed poposauroid Poposauroidea is a clade of advanced pseudosuchians (archosaurs closer to crocodilians than to dinosaurs). It includes poposaurids, shuvosaurids, ctenosauriscids, and other unusual ...'', ''Fasolasuchus'', ''Rauisuchus'', and "the Kupferzell rauisuchid" (later called ''Batrachotomus'') within Rauisuchidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archosaur
Archosauria () is a clade of diapsids, with birds and crocodilians as the only living representatives. Archosaurs are broadly classified as reptiles, in the cladistic sense of the term which includes birds. Extinct archosaurs include non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and extinct relatives of crocodilians. Modern paleontologists define Archosauria as a crown group that includes the most recent common ancestor of living birds and crocodilians, and all of its descendants. The base of Archosauria splits into two clades: Pseudosuchia, which includes crocodilians and their extinct relatives, and Avemetatarsalia, which includes birds and their extinct relatives (such as non-avian dinosaurs and pterosaurs). Older definitions of the group Archosauria rely on shared morphological characteristics, such as an antorbital fenestra in the skull, serrated teeth, and an upright stance. Some extinct reptiles, such as proterosuchids and euparkeriids, possessed these features yet originated pri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erythrosuchid
Erythrosuchidae (meaning "red crocodiles" in Greek) are a family of large basal archosauriform carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the early Middle Triassic (Anisian). Naming The family Erythrosuchidae was named by David Meredith Seares Watson in 1917.D.M.S. Watson. 1917. "A sketch classification of the Pre-Jurassic tetrapod vertebrates". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1917: 167–186 Description They were the apex predators of their day, with lengths of to almost . Their fossil remains are known to date from South Africa (Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin), China, India and European Russia, from the Early to Middle Triassic. Erythrosuchids were unusually large and robust archosauromorphs. Several features set them apart from other archosauriformes and are also seen in later, more derived archosaurs. For example, they lack teeth on the palate, which are found in other early archosauriformes, such as ''Doswellia'' and eupark ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capitosauroid
The Mastodonsauroidea are an extinct superfamily of temnospondyl amphibians known from the Triassic. Fossils belonging to this superfamily have been found in North America, Greenland, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The genus ''Ferganobatrachus'' from the Jurassic of Asia was initially included in this superfamily but later reinterpreted as a brachyopid Brachyopidae is an extinct family of temnospondyl labyrintodonts. They evolved in the early Mesozoic and were mostly aquatic. A fragmentary find from Lesotho, Africa is estimated to have been long, the largest amphibian ever known to have lived ... and given a new name Gobiops. ReferencesThe Paleobiology Database*& 2007 "Revision of the type material and nomenclature of ''Mastodonsaurus giganteus'' (Jaeger) (Temnospondyli) from the middle Triassic of Germany" ''Palaeontology'' 505:1245-1266 External links Vertebrate superfamilies Triassic temnospondyls Jurassic temnospondyls Early Triassic first appearances Mid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stanocephalosaurus
''Stanocephalosaurus'' (stano from Greek stenos, meaning “narrow”, cephalo from Greek kephalē, meaning “head”) is an extinct genus of large-sized temnospondyl amphibians living through the early to mid Triassic. The etymology of its name most likely came from its long narrow skull when compared to other temnospondyls. ''Stanocephalosaurus'' lived an aquatic lifestyle, with some species even living in salt lakes. There are currently three recognized species and another that needs further material to establish its legitimacy. The three known species are ''Stanocephalosaurus pronus'' from the Middle Triassic in Tanzania, ''Stanocephalosaurus amenasensis'' from the Lower Triassic in Algeria, and ''Stanocephalosaurus birdi'', from the middle Triassic in Arizona. ''Stanocephalosaurus rajareddyi'' from the Middle Triassic in central India needs further evidence in order to establish its relationship among other Stanocephalosaurs. Like other temnospondyls, ''Stanocephalosaurus'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paracyclotosaurus
''Paracyclotosaurus'' (meaning "Near Wheeled Lizard") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian, which would have appeared similar to today's salamander – but much larger, measuring up to long and weighing between . It lived in the Middle Triassic period, about 235 million years ago, and fossils have been found in Australia, India, and South Africa. Although they could live on dry land, ''Paracyclotosaurus'' probably spent most of its time in water. They had flattened bodies and elongated heads, almost long, that vaguely resembled those of modern crocodiles. Discovery and naming The type species ''P. davidi'' is only known from one complete specimen recovered from Australia. It was discovered by quarry miners in a brick pit in St. Peters in Sydney, New South Wales. The discovery, made in 1910, was from a large ironstone nodule within Ashfield Shale which contained the nearly complete skeleton. The reconstruction was finished in July 1914, and was initially determined t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprolites
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κόπρος (''kopros'', meaning "dung") and λίθος (''lithos'', meaning "stone"). They were first described by William Buckland in 1829. Before this, they were known as "fossil fir cones" and "bezoar stones". They serve a valuable purpose in paleontology because they provide direct evidence of the predation and diet of extinct organisms. Coprolites may range in size from a few millimetres to over 60 centimetres. Coprolites, distinct from ''paleofeces'', are fossilized animal dung. Like other fossils, coprolites have had much of their original composition replaced by mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium carbonates. Paleofeces, on the other hand, retain much of their original organic composition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Actinopterygian
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (rays), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). By species count, actinopterygians dominate the vertebrates, and they constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 species of fish. They are ubiquitous throughout freshwater and marine environments from the deep sea to the highest mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from ''Paedocypris'', at , to the massive ocean sunfish, at , and the long-bodied oarfish, at . The vast majority of Actinopte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isopodichnus
''Isopodichnus'' is an ichnogenus of trace fossil. Ribbon-like in form, ''Isopodichnus'' traces were likely formed by the activity of an isopod crustacean foraging within the preserved sediment. Parallel to the bedding plane, a central furrow is flanked by two hypichnial ridges. Trails may also exhibit scratch marks and be associated with ''Rusophycus''-like resting traces. ''Isopodichnus'' are very similar in form to ''Cruziana'' traces, making delineation of the two forms difficult, and controversial.Richard G. Bromley (1996): ''Trace Fossils: Biology, Taphonomy and Applications.'' Second Edition, Chapman & Hall, p. 187GoogleBooks) Image:trace2.jpg, ''Isopodichnus'' trace fossil from the upper carboniferous - (Scotland, St Monans, Fife) (two penny piece for scale) Image:trace3.jpg, Close up Image:Cruziana2.jpg, ''Cruziana'' trace, possibly formed by a Trilobite. See also * Cruziana * Ichnology * Trace fossil A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trace Fossil
A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from el, ἴχνος ''ikhnos'' "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, which are the fossilized remains of parts of organisms' bodies, usually altered by later chemical activity or mineralization. The study of such trace fossils is ichnology and is the work of ichnologists. Trace fossils may consist of impressions made on or in the substrate by an organism. For example, burrows, borings (bioerosion), urolites (erosion caused by evacuation of liquid wastes), footprints and feeding marks and root cavities may all be trace fossils. The term in its broadest sense also includes the remains of other organic material produced by an organism; for example coprolites (fossilized droppings) or chemical markers (sedimentological structures produced by biological means; for example, the formation of stromatolites). H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
