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 eight specimens preserved, three dorsal (top view)
and five ventral (bottom view). 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. The fossils
are found in a mudstone matrix containing calcite intrusions that
show here as the whitish 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 a hefty 41 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 tiff 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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