Jurassic Fossils Found in Texas

Plesiosaur, a marine reptile from the Jurassic period, whose fossils were found in TexasPhoto byWikimedia

The big story

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists from The University of Texas at Austin have filled a major gap in the state's fossil record by identifying the first known Jurassic vertebrate fossils in Texas.

The team, led by researcher Steve May, unearthed weathered bone fragments belonging to a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile that lived approximately 150 million years ago.

The discovery was made during two fossil hunting missions in the Malone Mountains of West Texas. Before this find, Texas had only fossils from marine invertebrates like ammonites and snails, making the plesiosaur findings a significant breakthrough.

The Malone Mountains, with their 13 square miles of Jurassic-aged rocks, hold the majority of such rocks in the state, making them a crucial site for paleontological research.

Why it matters?

This discovery provides valuable insights into the ancient marine environment of the Jurassic period and offers a glimpse into the time when giant dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The Jurassic era lasted from 201.4 million years ago(mya) to 145 mya.

The researchers also uncovered other specimens, including petrified driftwood with marine worm burrows, as well as the shells of clams, snails, and ammonites. Notably, they found rare Jurassic plant fossils from lower latitudes, such as a pinecone and wood with possible growth rings.

The Malone Mountains have been studied for over a century, but it was only in 2015 when Steve May learned about the absence of Jurassic bones in Texas that he launched this groundbreaking expedition.

The promising start provided by the plesiosaur fossils will prompt scientists to continue their exploration in the area, hoping to find more evidence from the Jurassic period.