Fossil Info Sheets - Page 1

Compsognathus

Compsognathus (comp-so-nath-us) or "Compy" in Jurassic Park and Lost World, was a tiny hen-sized carnivorous dinosaur. It lived in Europe 150 million years ago, when that region was mostly scattered islands in a shallow tropical coral sea.

Compy shared his turf with pterodactyles, lizards and early birds. He ate small vertebrates, especially lizards. His hind-legs were much longer than his fore-legs, and he stood erect on his back legs only easily running down his prey.

The fossil remains (there are only two specimens) were found in the German state of Bavaria, near the Solnhofen limestone quarry pits. These are the same sites as where the famous Archaeopteryx specimens were discovered.

As a group, compsognathids are members of the Coelurosauridae. It is now believed that birds evolved from such stock during the early Triassic period. Bone for bone, they are identical with each other. The progenitor may have even been feathered. Even "Compy" may have been.

We offer for sale the first and most famous specimen.

Pterodactylus

All nine of our ptorosaurs come from the same limestone quarries as the famous Archeoptyrx bird fossils came from. 150 million years ago southwestern Europe was mostly tropical coral reefs, with small colonies of life on many of the islands. Flying vertebrates such as early birds and pterosaurs were, however, free to travel from island to island. Occasionally one would die over the ocean and sink to the bottom where it lay until buried. The annoxic bottom layer prevents decay or skeletal disturbance. The origin of the sediment is volcanic dust, which allows for the extraordinary detail of all of the Solnhofen limestone specimens.

There are several species of pterodactylus and Rhamphorhynchus pterosaurs. Pterodactyles had short tails and Rhamphorhynchus had long tails with a diamond shaped kite rudder. The later were fish eaters, probably surface skimmers. Pterodactyles may have been insectivoires. One species of pterodactylus is smaller than a humming bird, making it the smallest flying vertebrate. Rhamphorhynchus tended to be larger sized. Recent evidence has shown that pterosaurs were covered with short fuzzy hair-like nap.

We have molds for nine specimens, five are pterodactyles.

Slab 13 x 13-1/2in......$ 89.        Slab 9-1/2 x 13-1/2in......$ 89.   

Rhamphorhynchus

Rhamphorhynchid pterosaurs hail from the Jurassic period. The order Pterosauria is divided into two sub-orders, the Pterodactyloidea and the Rhamphorhynchoidea.

Rhamphorhynchids are the more primitive of the two groups. They appeared in early Jurrasic and were extinct by the end of the period. During the mid Jurassic themore advanced Pterodactyloidea appeared and lived on until the end of the retaceous period.

Rhamphorhynchids had a long tail (with a triangular "kite" or rudder on the tip) a trait lost in the pterosaurs. During the earlier period, Rhamphorhynchids were generally the larger of the two. Later, some of the late Cretaceous pterodactyloids had wingpans rivaling those of a cessna airplane.

The three specimens we offer are from Jurrasic limestones of Germany. They have wingsoans of 3 to 4 feet.

One of these (the largest slab) is Campylognathiodes which is amoung the most primitive of the group.

In another, the wing patagium (membrane) is still clearly visible. The preservation of such soft tissue in fossilized animals is extremely rare.

The third one is more distrubed with it's skeleton partialy disarticulated, probably by scavenging predators. However, it affords some interesting angular vies of some of it's anatomy, skull and hips mostly. This one is not great for display, but it is a great piece for education and research.

I personally love pterosaurs, and I am excited about swapping for new specimens.

Allosaurus

Allosaurus was the main carnivoire of his time (the mid-Jurassic period of about 150 million years ago). Allosaurus reached a length of 45 feet. He probably ate small dinosaurs like stegosaurs.

The characteristics of all carnosaurs, of any age or locality, are remarkably similar. First they are of the same basic design, bipedal stance, birdlike feet and gait and primitive conical teeth. As Tyrannosaurus was king of the late Cretaceous, so Allosaurus was in the mid-Jurassic.

Most of the world's specimens of Allosaur skeletons came from a single mass deposit in central Utah, near the town of Price. There have been slightly modified versions found around the world. For instance, Megalosaurus of Europe, and others, are so similar that telling them apart is difficult. Even the tiny dinosaur Compsognathus is virtually identical with Archaeopteryx, a bird!