Author 丨Jiang's Little Thief Dragon
Dinosaur fossils are not uncommon, but dinosaur fossils wrapped into opal gems are rare, and opalized dinosaur fossils have been found in Australia!
Remember in secondary school geography textbooks, Australia was referred to as "the country sitting on a mining cart" because the country was rich in mineral resources. Among the many minerals produced in Australia, there is a gemstone called opal, which is Australia's "national stone". Did you know that recently paleontologists named a dinosaur whose fossils turned into opals?
From Lightning Ridge
Image note: Processed opal, picture from the network
Illustration: Opal-encrusted ring, image from the web
Opal, known as opal, is a naturally hardened silica gel. Because it can refract a variety of fantastic colors under the light, and the dazzling color change effect, it is a precious gemstone. Among the many opal-producing countries, Australia has the highest opal value, and among the opal produced in Australia, the black opal from the "Lightning Ridge" of southern Australia in New South Wales has the highest value.
Image note: Where the Lightning Ridge is located, picture from the network
Photo note: Black opal is a specialty of lightning ridges, the picture comes from the network
Despite being called "Lightning Ridge", this is actually the name of a small town, not really a ridge. It is precisely because of the production of such valuable gems that many people come to lightning ridges in search of opal, and they are gem hunters.
Photo note: Richard Foster with his wife, picture from the web
Robert Foster, a gem hunter, had been to Lightning Ridge for a long time. In 1986, Foster discovered a fossil of a paleontology that had been opalized in an opal mine called "Sheep Ranch." Foster initially thought it was nothing more than a horseshoe, but he later discovered more opal fossils. Foster told the local paleontologists of his discovery, who, after seeing the discovery and deemed it important, contacted the nearby Australian Army. The military sent reservists to assist paleontologists in the large-scale excavations, which later found more than 100 fossils.
Photo note: A large number of dinosaur fossils that have been opalized, the picture comes from the network
Fossils discovered by Foster and paleontologists were later housed in museums and were forgotten for 15 years. Foster later learned that the fossil was on display at an opal shop in Sydney and that it was possible to be sold, so he negotiated to retrieve the fossil and bring it home. Later, Foster's family donated the fossils to the Australian Opal Museum, and the fossils were finally studied.
In 2019, paleontologists published an article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology called "Sheep Ranch Fowlsaurus, a new iguanosaurus dinosaur (dinosaur, ornithopod) from lightning ridge in New South Wales, Australia. et sp. nov., a new iguanodontian (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia).
Note: Part of the fossil of Fushiosaurus, picture from the paper
The paper describes and names the fossils found by Foster, named Fostoria, and the genus name is dedicated to Foster to commemorate his contributions to the discovery and conservation of fossils. The model breed name of Fostoria dhimbangunmal is Fostoria dhimbangunmal, and the species name "Sheep Ranch" is the local Aboriginal name for opal mines.
<h2>New iguanodons</h2>
Image note: The shape of the Fury's dragon resembles the desert dragon above, and the picture comes from the network
With a body length of about 5 meters and a weight of about 200 kilograms, it belongs to the iguanodactyl class and is a typical plant-eating dinosaur.
The head of the dragon is long, with a hard beak in front of its mouth. In the mouth of The Fuchsosaurus, there are two rows of leaf-like teeth that can be used to simply chew plants. On both sides of the head of the Fushi dragon, there are a pair of eyes, and its vision is better, and it can detect the dangers around it in time.
The neck of The Dragon was not long, curved in an S-shape, and was backwards connected to a strong body and a long tail. In appearance, Fuchsosaurus was a dinosaur that was able to run quickly because of its long, robust hind limbs. Proportionally, the hind limbs of Fuchosaurus are significantly longer than those of the forelimbs, with five fingers on the forelimbs and four toes on the hind limbs, three of which are in contact with the ground. In fact, Fushi dragons can walk on both four legs and hind limbs and bipedal, and when they encounter danger, they will rely on their feet to run quickly, while usually they walk slowly on four feet, because four feet are more labor-saving than two feet.
Picture note: Fossil toe bones of Foch's dragon, blue is opalized, the picture comes from the network
Image note: Myrtle dragon belonging to the iguanodon class, picture from the internet
Fushiosaurus belonged to the iguanodon, so its appearance was closer to that of the famous iguanodon, belonging to the strong and flexible plant-eating dinosaurs.
Hordes of gem-torn dinosaurs
Fossils of " Furthodon " were found in SouthwestErnew Wales , Australia , belonging to the Griman Creek Formation , dating from the Alpi to Senorman order , dating back to the Cretaceous period , about 100 million years ago.
Caption: The Cretaceous period flooded the Iromanga Sea in central Australia, image from the Internet
Paleontologists have long found a large number of paleontological fossils in the opal mines of the Lightning Ridge, proving that it was a vast floodplain 100 million years ago, where lakes and rivers flowed into the inland sea called the Eromanga sea. Large areas of forest grew around the inland sea, making it an ideal habitat for dinosaurs. In addition to the named Fuchsaurus, the dinosaurs found in the Green Creek Formation included Fulgurotherium, Muttaburrasaurus, Walgettosuchus, and Weewarrasaurus. The dinosaurs above are just the tip of the iceberg of Australian dinosaurs of that era.
Image note: Lightning Beast Dragon Restoration Diagram, picture from the network
Illustration: Mutalong restoration, picture from the network
Image note: Woggett crocodile restoration, picture from the network
The discovery of Fuchsaurus not only represents a completely new dinosaur in Australia, its fossils actually come from four individuals, both adult and juvenile. It also became the first time that fossils of flocks of dinosaurs were found buried in Australia, directly proving that Fuchsaurus was a gregarious dinosaur.
Illustration: Flocks of Fushi dragons, picture from the internet
The discovery, research and naming of The Dragon is a legend, coming from Australia's most precious gem source, and the fossils emit a strange blue luster. These opalized fossils have been waited for a long time before we finally restore them to a group of dinosaurs that lived on the magical southern continent 100 million years ago.
Image note: Opalized fossils of Fuchsosaurus, you can see the blue cast in the fossils, the picture comes from the network
Resources:
Phil R. Bell; Tom Brougham; Matthew C.Herne; Timothy Frauenfelder; Elizabeth T. Smith (2019). "Fostoriadhimbangunmal, gen. et sp. nov., a new iguanodontian (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda)from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia". Journal ofVertebrate Paleontology. Online edition:
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