A couple of old fossils

[davidedric]

No, not CiC members

Not sure whether these really belong in this section or in the Community Lounge, since they are not exactly good photography, but anyway.............

During this past summer there has been an exhibition of dinosaur fossils in Nottingham, in the English midlands. The exhibition was housed in the great hall of an Elizabethan mansion, mostly under glass, so you can imagine the lighting conditions! They are from China, and it's the first time they have been exhibited outside the country. They are mostly feathered dinosaur remains, clearly showing the link to birds.

But first, a bit of history. When I was 11 or 12 years old, I borrowed a book from the local library which described the expeditions and adventures of the paleontologist Professor Roy Chapman Andrews in the Gobi desert, back in the 1920's (some say that Professor Andrews was the model for Indiana Jones). The first discovery of dinosaur eggs was the really groundbreaking moment, but also a new dinosaur, Protoceratops Andrewsi was discovered). The book inspired an interest, and what did I see on entering teh exhibition, almost sixty years later but:



Moving on to the feathers, the detail is remarkable. Here you can clearly see the long tail feathers. Very interestingly, at least to me, this is the male. The female fossil, also there, lacked the long feathers - just like species such as the birds of paradise now.



Finally, you may be aware that many modern birds swallow small stones to help them digest their food - and here is a dinosaur that did just the same (follow the red arrow).



The exhibition closes on Sunday, and I am so glad I went.

Dave

[Donald]

Thank you for that, Dave.

I find all this fascinating, but am very ill-informed about it as a subject. But to look at the fossilised remains of a creature that walked/flew so long ago is a privilege.

[rpcrowe]

"A couple of old fossils"

I was wondering how you got an image with me in it

Then realized this wasn't a picture of me after-all

BTW: Roy Chapman Andrews was also one of my favorite authors when I was in my teens. Perhaps this got me started loving travel and photography...

[davidedric]

Thanks for the feedback.

Donald - that's exactly it for me. I've been lucky enough to see Thrombolites, species dating from at least 2 billion years ago, Ediacaran fossils (the first multicellular fossils) from 600 million years ago, these from 200 million years ago, and the fossil of Lucy (as in the Beatles' song) from 3 million years ago, when we were in Ethiopia. The photographs anchor my memories.

Richard - you are the first one I have met who has even heard of Professor Andrews. An inspiration for me, too.

Thanks, Dave

[Tronhard]

Not to elbow in on your excellent and informative shots... If you ever get a chance to visit Yoho National Park I recommend the Burgess Shale on Wapta Ridge overlooking Emerald Lake. It took a couple of hours each way to get to the site, but was well worth the visit to handle 505 million-year-old Olenoids Trilobites.


Wapta Mtn from the Burgess Shale


Olenoids Trilobyte

[Shadowman]

Nice captures.

[Wavelength]

Well done images

[davidedric]

Not to elbow in on your excellent and informative shots... If you ever get a chance to visit Yoho National Park I recommend the Burgess Shale on Wapta Ridge overlooking Emerald Lake. It took a couple of hours each way to get to the site, but was well worth the visit to handle 505 million-year-old Olenoids Trilobites.

Not at all Trev. I would have loved to. We were up in that part of Canada a few years ago, but decided that our aging and infirm bodies weren't up to the hike. Yes, the Burgess shales are iconic!

Regards,

Dave