Paleontologists say they collected numerous vertebrate specimens from the Late Jurassic Malone Formation in the Malone Mountains of western Texas, the United States. The weathered bone fragments are from the limbs and backbone of a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile that lived approximately 150 million years ago.
The Jurassic-period vertebrate fossils were discovered in the Malone Mountains, Texas, during two fossil hunting missions led by University of Texas at Austin’s Dr. Steve May.
Before this discovery, the only fossils from the Jurassic that had been collected and described from outcrops in Texas were from marine invertebrates, such as ammonites and snails.
“The new fossil finds serve as solid proof that Jurassic bones are here,” Dr. May said.
“Folks, there are Jurassic vertebrates out there. We found some of them, but there’s more to be discovered that can tell us the story of what this part of Texas was like during the Jurassic.”
Today, the Malone Mountains rise above the dry desert landscape.
During the Jurassic, the sediments were deposited just below sea level probably within miles of the shoreline.
Dr. May and colleagues found several other specimens that give a look into the ancient shallow marine environment, such as petrified driftwood filled with burrows from marine worms and the shells of clams, snails and ammonites.
They found a range of plant fossils, including a pinecone, and wood with possible growth rings.
“Globally, Jurassic plant fossils from lower latitudes close to the Earth’s equator are relatively rare,” said Dr. Lisa Boucher, also from the University of Texas at Austin.
“The plant finds should make the Malones a place of interest to other paleobotanists and those interested in paleoenvironmental reconstruction.”
Scientists have been conducting research in the Malones for over 100 years. So, why did it take so long to bring back Jurassic bones?
“Whatever the reasons, our discovery of a Texas first shows…
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