Description:
Recently I had the good fortune of purchasing two large Keichousaurus
mortality plates from a long-standing collection that was being
liquidated. These plates were acquired by the owner years before
the ban on Keichousaurus was instituted by the Chinese government.
The
plate has seven Keichousaurus specimens preserved, three dorsal
(top), three ventral (bottom) and one that I cannot discern.
One can easily ascertain this by looking at the skull. The dorsal
specimens show the upper skull and more bone detail. The ventral
specimens are shown as the bottom part of the skull outline with
no interior features visible. There is also a large partial Sinoeugnathus
fish on the plate. The fossils are based in a mudstone type matrix
with calcite intrusions that look straight thick white lines.
This is a normal occurrence one expects to find in these fossil
beds. Notice the beautiful aesthetics of the plate, a Triassic
case of life imitating art.
Imagine
being able to afford a swimming reptile mortality plate of this
magnitude from the Triassic. Until about four years ago
individual Keichousaurus were relatively available on the world
market. The Chinese authorities have since prohibited the export
of almost all vertebrate fossils. Accordingly, this is a good time
to acquire one of these truly impressive plates before they become
virtually impossible to obtain. Moreover, and without equivocation,
this is the finest Keichousaurus fossil I have ever seen.
The
mortality plate will display well as is, or with a quality frame
to fit your taste and decor. Obviously this is a centerpiece
specimen suitable as a wall hanging, large decorative table piece,
or whatever imaginative display idea you may have. Finally, don’t
forget accent and spot lighting of this plate, it will make a
world of difference. F.Y.I., the plate weighs in at a hefty 34
pounds.
A
word about the photography. The Keichousaurus plates were shot
using a 39 megapixel digital Hasselblad H2 series with 150mm and
65mm lenses. Both nomal jpeg and high resolution images are
linked below.
Keichousaurus
is a genus of predator marine reptile in the pachypleurosaur
family tht went extinct at the close of the Triassic. The name
comes
from Kweichow (now Guizhou Province) in China where the first
fossil specimen was discovered in 1957.
They are among the most common sauropterygian fossils recovered
and are often found as nearly complete, articulated skeletons,
making them popular among collectors. Keichousaurus, and the pachypleurosaur
family broadly, are sometimes classified within Nothosauroidea,
but are otherwise listed as a separate, more primitive lineage
within Sauropterygia. Keichousaurus did not suvive the Triassic-Jurassic
extinction event.
Keichousaurs,
were highly specialized for an aquatic environment, a characteristic
of all sauropterygians; this is evidenced by their feet having
five webbed toes. Members of the genus ranged from some 15 to
30 cm
long,
including
their
long necks
and tails. The pointy head
with sharp teeth suggest they made their living eating fishes.
Some
recovered
specimens feature an especially developed ulna suggesting they
may have spent some time on land or in marshes. Science believe
they were ovoviviparous with eggs that hatched within the
uterus.
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