No#1 DESTINATION FOR NEW PALAEONTOLOGY DISCOVERIES FOR SHOW-STOPPING SPACES OUT THERE! (51)

Ocean Life - Past + Present

In Melvyn Bragg's radio broadcast over approximately forty minutes an informative dialogue in which a layman can follow, an introduction into the life of the cephalopods from ancient and early coleoid cephalopods lineage through to modern-day cephalopod molluscs, such as the 'living fossil' cephalopod the Nautilus. Listen along, to hear how the BBC with Radio 4 compiled a marvellous dialogue between Mr Melvyn Bragg and three experts from around Britain, explaining how the Ammonites and nautili evolved and some still survive today on the earth's oceans. Also touching on the subject of folklore and the terrifying Kraken, an excellent listen! Melvyn Bragg in discussion with Jonathan Ablett, senior curator at the natural history museum, London, Louise Allcock, senior zoology lecturer at the University of Ireland, Galway and PaulRodhouse, emeritus fellow of the British Antarctic Survey, engaging this lively, interesting and flowing discussion over approximately 40 minutes, debates the rise of the Coleoidea group. From the Cambrian period explosion of life to the ultimate demise of the prolific coleoids, the Ammonites, in the mass Cretaceous extinction event (the KT boundary) which ended the rule of the dinosaurs on land and the Ammonoidea group in the oceans. With explanations on the survival and proliferation of the oceans by other molluscs from the deep sea rising through the oceans water columns to the very night time surfaces and the modern-day squids, cuttlefish, octopi and nautiluses.

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Theropod Dinosaur Specimen Discoveries

Welcome to our dinosaur journal page where we have listed a few of our latest fossil finds of rare prehistoric dinosaur claws, teeth and bones here is a brief resume of what we have discovered and offered for sale on our web catalogue, we hope you enjoy perusing our web store and an insight into the fossils of the Western Desert. To view, all of them click from the links on the page and on all image illustration links.Dromeosaurs are commonly referred to as 'Raptors', this was a trend when the Jurassic Park series of films entered our collective consciousness. Velociraptors featured in the first epic film terrorised everyone and captured our imaginations, here in this post we are taking a view on the actual and authentic Raptor teeth and claws of some of the Dromeosaurids of Africa, the differences in varied shapes and sizes and the location of finds.The latter, which you can find on each item listing page on our web site, links to the relative sections can be obtained from the links below and image clicks. It is believed the dromaeosaurids evolved during the Jurassic, to date teeth have been found in that age of fossil-bearing layer and we know they became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period around 66 m.y.a. Finding good complete examples is difficult, thus dinosaur teeth are a rare commodity, especially when in a good state of preservation or even on very rare occasions in a nearly pristine condition. Claws are even more rarely discovered than teeth, to find one in a near-complete or pristine condition is akin to an old prospector finding that elusive gold nugget. You may see in our selection a comprehensive, varied group of fossil teeth and some claws which have been collected over several years and only now for the first time, offered for sale. With some of our latest discoveries. Dromaeosauridae 'running lizards', comes from Greek dromeus meaning 'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'. The naming of the 'Raptors' helps further describe the slender small sized teeth and fine claws, along with hollow and therefore lighter bones, in slender skeletal frame dromeosaurs were built for the flight not fight on an individual basis. A small to a medium-sized dinosaur, with feathers, theorists believe that many of these dinosaurs were pack animals, one could coin the term the wolves of the Mesozoic era. When one thinks of dromaeosaurs or raptors, the large sickle killing claw (see image below), may be envisaged, this typifies the species of dromaeosaurs. Due to the fragility of the dromeosaurs bones, invariably many teeth are more often than not discovered broken or damaged in fossil layers, equally susceptible other dinosaur species fossils, teeth and claws are equally scarce to find in good state of preservation. Terrestrial carnivore dinosaur fossil teeth are most often recognised by the archetypical triangular shark fin shape, fine serrations and enamel crowns. Our teeth here are no exception to this basic of rules for an efficient killing and ripping tooth and claw, the edge to a carnivore, to economically bring down prey and reduce flesh to a mouthful size meal. As menacing and vicious as this may sound, in the age of the dinosaurs of Morocco's Cretaceous period it was the edge on survival. The Dromaeosaurid skeleton consists of a relatively large-sized skull, jaws with many serrated teeth, a slender snout, forward-facing eyes which indicate some degree of binocular vision and the controversial theory of avian type feathers. Dromaeosaurids, like most theropods, had a moderately long neck and a relatively short and deep body. Like other maniraptorans they characteristically had long arms, these could be folded against the body in some species. With relatively large hands or forefoot claws having three elongated fingers (the middle finger being the longest and the first finger the shortest), these all terminating in long claws. The bones of which are illustrated in this post. The Dromaeosaurid bird hip structure featured a large pubic boot projecting beneath the base of the tail. The feet bore a large, recurved sabre claw on their second toe. Longtails were slender, tail vertebrae long and low lacking any transverse process and neural spines after the fourteenth caudal vertebra. It has recently been established that some, and probably all dromaeosaurids were feathered, featuring large, vaned wing and tail feathers. Wikipedia Dromeosaurids.

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Megalodon Shark Teeth

FOSSIL MEGALODON SHARK TEETH Megalodon the terror of the Cenozoic oceans may well have been edged into extinction by one of the most docile mammals on the planet but new research reveals conclusive evidence proving otherwise with a fascinating insight into the feeding habits of Megalodons for the first time. While Alberto Collareta, from the University of Pisa, Italy explains in the publication of the New Scientist, his paper published in the journal of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaeoecology, that for the first time we can establish what was the exact species of prey for Megalodon sharks. Megalodon the extinct 50 tonnes, 60-foot behemoth shark with a gapping 10-foot jaw, the whale killer of the Oligocene and Pliocene epoch’s (28 m.y.a. to 2.6 m.y.a.). That's a run of over 25 million years of terror before falling off the fossil record into extinction. This is a serious time stamp on evolution. Megalodon, a warm water feeder prevalent around what is now North America’s southern river beds. Feeding on early dwarf or Pygmy whales and seals. Early types of baleen whales; ‘Priscbalaena nana’ and large seals; ‘Priscophoca Pacifica are both around 5 metres long and around one-third of Megalodon’s length making these prey a perfect size for sustaining their diet from 1.5 to 28 million years ago. As it happens Today Baby humpbacks reaching around the 4-metre mark or less are attacked and drowned by ‘Dusky sharks’, scientifically know as ‘Carcharhinus obscures’. Carcharhinus obscures reach up to 2 to 3 metres in length a derive off the coast of South Africa. Begging the question, how close is our current climate to that of the Megalodon 1.5 to 28 million years ago? The early dwarf Baleen whales and seals developed in warm shallow waters like modern species also do however millions of years ago, so did the Megalodon! Growing to enormous lengths of 16 meters with an array of replenish-able prolifically serrated edged teeth reaching up to 7.25 inches in size and weighing in at 50+ tons. (A modern-day mature 20 to 25-foot Great white shark have teeth ranging from 2 to 2.5 inches). These once fierce yet beautiful creatures roamed the prehistoric oceans and now leave their imprint in the fossil record for their prestigious teeth as seen in the photographs. Held in the hand you are really able to gauge the terror of these evolutionary engineered mammals of the Cenozoic era with up to a staggering 250 teeth reaching 7+ inches. Megalodon bite marks are often found in large whale vertebra and bones, however, it is not yet clear whether this could have been due to scavenging carcasses. However, it is the opinion of many where these large fossil vertebrae’s are more often than not from smaller mammals than the Megalodon, suggesting the Megalodon would have easily shredded its way through to the bones of smaller prey. The large whales though may be key to Megalodon’s extinction, possibly the Megalodon was just too large to successfully hunt. Large whales development also coincided with climate change. As the poles became colder, trapping great quantities of ice whilst water levels dropped on a global scale. This global change affected coastal regions and the Baleen whales ecosystems. Baleen type whales quickly began to decline whilst the remaining baleens were hunted by an ever-increasing demand from the hungry Megalodon’s which now were threatened and also began to decline at the top of the food chain. Whilst food habitats changed and seasonal rises in temperatures around the poles, this rapidly increased the migration of large whales which were much more capable of surviving in the colder waters whereas Megalodon favoured warmer waters leading to their demise.Studies also show that when large sharks migrate from one domain or decline, smaller sharks will tend to thrive. A 6-year study by Catalina Piemiento from the University of Zurich points towards the decline in Megalodon coinciding with the development and adaptability of large whales however she claims further work is needed to fully establish her findings. The question is, could this also have added pressure to the Megalodon’s plight? With Baleens in decline and seals changing habits, Megalodon continued on a steady decline towards their extinction. Scientific records show Baleens became extinct around 3 million years ago, opposed to megalodon which suffered to their decline at 1.5 million years when it followed suit, however other sharks took their place with their closest ancestor today, the Great white shark.

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Fossil Cherifiensis Crocodile

FOSSIL ELOSUCHUS CROCODILE We have recently listed some amazing crocodile fossils among which is a highly important Elosuchus jaw element. This consists of 24 teeth in a three-dimensional Elosuchus imperator Crocodile Jaw discovered in the Cretaceous layers often referred to as De Ksar-es-Souk fossil beds, Kem Kem region, Taouz, the Province of Errachidia, North Africa. The jaw is a jewel of scientific information, as the lower jaw section is not crushed and has not suffered any distortion in the fossil bedding plane. The form is as it was laid down over 100 million years ago. It is thought that Elosuchus, commonly known as Super crocodiles hunted in the freshwater lagoons and swamp margins of North Africa, what is now today a seemingly arid desert region of the northern Sahara ténéré or the Tiniri as the indigenous Berbers name the region. The tiniri is the vast wilderness stretching from Niger in the south to Mauritania in the west, Morocco in the north and Egypt in the east, the greater Western Desert of Northern Sahara. A Berber and Touareg land once crisscrossed by caravan routes, now along with the prehistoric animals that once lived here, all are extinct. As the tiniri rarely gives up its prehistoric treasures, we find rare opportunity to gain a fossil crocodile fossil elements of importance and also of excellent scientific value. From the beginning of the twentieth century when bones and teeth of prehistoric vertebrates, including crocodiles, were uncovered, up to the middle of the twentieth century when Elosuchus fossils were discovered by France de Broin and Phillipe Taquet in 1964, this described as a type. And to even later, just before the turn of the twenty-first century when Paul Sereno of the museum of Chicago unearthed with his team in the Ténéré southeast of Agadez, at Gadoufaoua, Niger., Elosuchus remains. These latest and most fruitful fossils included vertebrae, bones, scute plates (dermal plates which lay just under the skin, giving the archetypical dimpled look to crocodilians leathery-looking hide), jaw elements and teeth and a near-complete six-foot skull (1.8 metres). Enough material to identify Elosuchus as a gigantic Cretaceous predator. which Sereno then proceeded to rebuild with dramatic effect, in fact, to name Elosuchus the largest crocodilian hunter of the Cretaceous period. Today as the Elosuchus story continues to unfold. The accumulated knowledge suggests an even greater size for Elosuchus. This dinosaur-killing reptile which may have terrorised the swamps and lagoons of a hundred million years ago ranged far. As science has so far ascertained with any degree of accuracy it's home was Africa and yet possibly fossils have been found in Brazil. The landmass Pangaea began to break up around 175 m.y.a. In the Early Cretaceous 150–140 m.y.a. the supercontinent of Gondwana separated and Africa and South America began to drift apart. Elosuchus’s range is found in the Aptian 126 - 113 m.y.a. to Albian 113 - 100 m.y.a. ages of the early Cretaceous period. Did Elosuchus range across the whole landmass? The Elosuchus blueprint. Elosuchus imperator weighed as much as ten tons and measured as much as 40 feet (12 metres) in length. Other fossil genera of crocodiles have been discovered in this region, Stomatosuchus (Mouth crocodile), named by Ernst Stromer, 1925. Famously the describer of Spinosaurus aegypticus (the infamous sailed back fish-eating dinosaur of the same lagoon region), and Laganosuchus (Pancake crocodile) and Kaprosuchus (Boar crocodile), both described by Paul Sereno & Hans Larsson, later in 2009. As the ténéré rarely gives up its prehistoric treasures, few and far between are the opportunities to gain very good fossil crocodile elements of important size and also scientifically valuable. Much more knowledge will come out of Africa, the author is sure of that. The vast tiniri may well produce more crocodiles skeletons to terrorise our imaginations.

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Story Of A Meteorite Fall

CREATION OF THE METEORITE A Meteor is a fractured piece of an asteroid or comet which orbits the sun. Upon entering the Earth's atmosphere a Meteor burns creating the effect of a shooting star better known as Meteoroids which reach the Earth's surface. Sometimes these Meteoroids burn out into dust particles as they hit the atmosphere. The friction caused by air particles creates extreme temperatures of 1,648 degrees celsius, this intense heat vaporises most Meteors causing the glow leaving trails in the skies seen from the ground. Sometimes they don’t disintegrate, falling to the Earth's surface, and becoming known as Meteorites. Large pieces of Meteors break from their asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, weighing anything up to 60 tons and reaching speeds of 30,000 MPH. These Meteors are made up of minerals rich in silicon and oxygen, although consist mainly of iron and nickel. Scientists believe 1,000 to 10,000 tons or more (some speculate this is in the region of 44 tons) of Meteor material falls on Earth every day, mostly dust particles according to Nasa who confirm they pose no threat to Earth or it’s the atmosphere. Halley's Comet is one of the most anticipated sightings by Meteor fans, although you'll have to wait a few decades for the next display. Halley last entered the inner Solar System in early 1986 but will orbit closer to the sun on the 28th July 2061, taking around 76 years to make a complete revolution around the Sun. There are several Meteor showers each year with the next coming up soon. The Leonid Meteor shower is best seen on November the 17th and 18th, so make sure to add these dates to your diaries. These can travel approximately 41 miles per second but can only be seen on a clear night with a persistent long trail. The impact from a Meteorite of 164 feet in diameter caused a crater 1 kilometre wide in Arizona 50,000 years ago; now known as the Barringer Meteorite Crater. Sixty-five million years ago an object, possibly a comet a few times larger than the one landed on by the Philae probe, struck the Mexican coast triggering a global winter that wiped out the dinosaurs. In 1908, a smaller Meteor hit a remote part of Siberia devastating hundreds of square miles of forest. Over 100 scientists including Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, called for the creation of a global warning system to alert us if a threatening Asteroid or Meteor is in direct alignment for another collision with Earth. The probability is remote however one day there will be another collision. There has never been a strike large enough to wipe out all life on Earth for at least three billion years, protocol has named such an event the “Extinction Level Event”. But a dinosaur-killer would certainly be the end of civilisation as we know it.

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Fossil Mosasaurs Uncovered

Mosasaurs from the deep... As the Cretaceous period drew inexorably to it's closing chapter, Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs vanished from the fossil record, Mosasaurs (over a period of around the last 20 million years of the period), took the dominant apex predator roll in their marine environment, from the Turonian age to the Maastrichtian age some 93 to 66 million years ago, the divisions of time in the late Cretaceous. Mosasaurs eventually themselves became extinct around the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event. Mosasaurs breathed air, lived in the warm shallow seas and gave birth to live young ‘viviparity’, embryo incubation occurs inside the body of the parent rather than for example, in turtles which occurs initially in the egg sack and latterly in the laid egg, incubation outside of the parent. Thus Mosasaurs didn't have to return to land to give birth where they could be vulnerable to predators. Mosasaurs had two lungs with one trachea and were endothermic (able to regulate their body temperature) and therefore self-regulating to the temperature deviations of the environment. Had webbing between their toes and evolved paddles. Broad tails with a fluke which produced the power to chase prey and evade larger Mosasaur predators, yes they were cannibalistic! Possibly even filial, At least one palaeontological report illustrates evidence of a small-sized Mosasaur found in the stomach contents of a larger mature Tylosaurus proriger Mosasaur. The Teeth of specialist Mosasaurs were very successful and were developed to many differing marine habits, some like Globidens aegypticus which exclusively fed on molluscs while others were thought to be fish and cephalopod specialists, like the first Mosasaur Dallasaurus sp. Over 40 species mosasaurs have been discovered since 1780s in Maastricht, Netherlands. With at least six different species from Morocco consisting of; 1. Leiodon anceps (described by Richard Owen 1841), firstly classified by Owen and later re-classified by Arambourg as Prognathodon, this re-classification has caused much confusion when identifying this particular Mosasaur tooth, very similar to M.beaugei with fine smooth enamel, the crowns laterally compressed, both the labial and lingual carinae (cutting edges), have fine serrations, however a much less robust tooth than M.beaugei. 2. Halisaurus (Marsh 1869), one of the smaller mosasaurs from this Moroccan fossil resource, displays a sabre curve with fine carinae serrations, slender with a pronounced round cross-section at the base of the tooth. 3. Prognathodon giganteus (Dollo 1904), a much larger and more robust tooth than M.leiodon, having large robust crowns, sub-circular in cross-section and carinae having serrations. 4. Mosasaurus beaugei (Arambourg 1952), Mosasaurus beaugei having large rooted teeth with robust crowns, these triangular in section with two serrated carinae with a quite noticeable feature, prism-shaped longitude facets. 5. Platycarpus ptychodon, evolved a much slimmer less robust tooth having numerous well pronounced longitudinal facets on the lingual side (tooth face adjacent to the tongue, away from the inner jaw). 6. Globidens aegypticus, a specialist mollusc and shell crushing tooth. The globular crown having a crenellated surface (wavy or scalloped enamel), the anterior teeth becoming peg-like. This is the rarest of the Moroccan fossils at the Benguerir deposits, Ganntour basin, the northern Oulad Abdoun basin, including Sidi Daoui, M’Rizig and Sidi Hajjaj. The Mosasaur lineage and most recent research lean towards ancestry from early land-dwelling lizards. This wasn't always the case, for a long time Mosasaurs were thought to have evolved from the Serpentes. These earliest thoughts suggested a lineage to snakes, as both have similar anatomical traits. Yes, Mosasaurs could open their jaws with an extreme gape, unhinging the jaws and having a flexible skull enabling the swallowing of large chunks of food or a whole prey in one gulp. The second row of teeth growing from their palate, as do snakes, extremely useful to grip prey before swallowing. However recent research has favoured a convergent evolution rather than a direct one, the latest research suggests the Monitor lizard family tree. Mosasaur size. The smallest Mosasaur known is the Dallasaurus turneri at under one metre (3 feet), in length. The largest giant yet discovered is the Mosasaurus hoffmannii at seventeen metres (56 feet), hoffmannii had a large fluke on the tale similar in shape to that of a dolphin or a shark's dorsal fin. What did Mosasaurs look like? A recent study by Johan Lindgren 2014, concluded that Mosasaurs scales contain melanin and were probably coloured with a dark upper body and lighter underbelly much like the modern great white shark of today. Differing Mosasaurs had specialist lifestyles from the smallest to the largest. All Mosasaurs were air-breathing like modern-day Cetaceans (whales). Often breaching to fill their lungs probably gave the Mosasaurs opportunity to discover prey and attack from the depths much like the Great White’s off The Cape Of Good Hope do today and as in the ‘Jurassic World’ film the Mosasaur reaching upwards to grab a large Great White shark. Mosasaurs are depicted by many paleontological artists. breaching could also have made them vulnerable prey to other larger Mosasaurs. Mosasaur deadly underwater adversaries and paleobiology. Reviewing the evolution of how the Mosasaur moved had to be re-thought. Once it was believed Mosasaurs swam through the water with the undulating swimming actions like the serpents, from side to side. However imagining the monstrous heavyweight using its whole body to push itself through the seas created issues with dynamics, bulk-weight ratios and speed. Modern theorists concluded only the tail must have moved from side to side. A fin at the extremity of the tail aided speed, creating a bigger surface area, much like an oar through the water. The evolving anatomy of the Mosasaurs was all about speed. Front paddles or flippers (once phalanx), gave the Mosasaur direction, uplight or a dive mode, these mostly held against its body while hunting at speed, could be flipped out to enable high speed turns. As palaeontologists discover more and more, it has been observed in a fossil Mosasaur (discovered in Jordan, in the Middle East), the fossilised remains of diamond-shaped scales similar to that of snakes, of differing size over the whole body. Some upper body scales evolved a keel reducing drag and effecting a streamlining, while the scales on the lower or underbelly were smoother, again aiding the streamlining effect. More recently discoveries of the impressions of soft body parts in the fossil record of Mosasaurs have revealed tantalising facts. An amazing breakthrough came when the fossilised skin along with internal organ placements was unearthed. The trachea of Platecarpus tympaniticus being fossilised and preserved shows us that as in Cetaceans the bronchi run in parallel sequence to the lungs, unlike modern-day monitor lizards, where the bronchi split apart, this similarity to Cetaceans may show a complete transition to the marine life of the once land-dwelling lizards. Even collagen protein material has been recovered from Mosasaurus Prognathodon sp. A remarkable turn of the page in the search for Mosasaur facts. What did Mosasaurs eat, Mosasaurs were very successful and developed many different marine habits, some like Globidens aegypticus exclusively fed on molluscs. Globidens evolved specialised teeth for crushing the hard shell. These fossilised teeth are robust domed and slightly flattened, having a heavy dentin enamel crown. Platecarpus sp. and the early evolving Mosasaur Dallasaurus sp. at around a metre in length were mainly fish eaters. Larger Mosasaurus sp. along with Tylosaurus sp. at the top of the food chain preyed on other smaller Mosasaurs, giant ammonites, large fish and marine reptiles. Mosasaurs may have had a varied diet from surface skimming birds to dinosaurs. Like many top predators, a meal scavenged is energy saved in any pursuit. Although the Mosasaurs were extremely ferocious predators, hunting down Plesiosaurs, marine crocodiles, sharks and even other smaller Mosasaurs, if a dinosaur carcass came its way, or a dinosaur ventured to close to the shoreline or even as some scientists believe swam across open water to islands or another land they could become prey for the largest Mosasaur. In the stomach contents of some fossilised Mosasaurs, large bird bones have been found. Large fish, even sharks and smaller Mosasaurs! Many ammonoids bite marks have been discovered, originally these assumed to be crustacean boreholes, on closer inspection revealed the triangular-shaped holes were in perfect alignment to the jaws of some Mosasaurs. Extinction of the Mosasaurs. The Mosasaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period when much of vertebrate life on the planet including the dinosaurs, pterosaurs and other marine reptiles plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs were becoming or were already extinct. This is the infamous K-T boundary an extinction event which typically can be seen as a blackened ash layer in the geological record. Many scientists and palaeontologists credit a massive asteroid strike. A geological depression in the Yucatan peninsula, the Chicxulub impactor coincides with the Cretaceous and Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary), around 66 million years ago when a crater more than 180 kilometres (110 miles) in diameter and 20 kilometres (12 miles) wide formed well into the continental crust, to a depth of about 30 kilometres (18 miles). As more is discovered, especially in recent years other less dramatic factors have also gained merit in contributing to the demise of many lineages around this KT boundary event. Much terrestrial volcanic activity, the climate changes due to the vulcanism, other environmental changes over long periods of time, the depletion of oxygen levels leading to a changing pattern in the food chain can all be considered as drastically changing the balance of the Cretaceous world. The many volcanic eruptions on land and asteroid impacts from space coupled with diminishing sunlight as the stratosphere became heavily affected with clouds of ash cutting down photosynthesis processes, could have irreparably restricted the growth of algae and planktonic food in the oceans, reduced the numbers of small crustaceans that feed on plankton and a domino effect was created, fishes, pliosaurs and Mosasaurs would have all been ultimately effected if the balanced ecology failed. Also, the reduction in sunlight reaching the water surface of the planet could have critically affected the marine reptiles in their behaviour and ultimately reproduction. Reptiles, as we know today, are extremely sensitive to temperature change in their mating cycle. Theoretically, all these factors could have brought the Mosasaurs to a point of no return and created a slide into extinction which became irretrievable for the species. Around this time the great Cetaceans, took to the seas from the land, like Basilosaurus sp. (mistaken for a Mosasaur when its fossil remains were first discovered), as Cetaceans followed the evolutionary path and grew larger, hunters like the C.megalodon, the largest sharks to have evolved, mirrored the Cetaceans rise becoming top predators of the Eocene and Miocene seas taking the place of the Mosasaurs.

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The Evolution Of Birds

Where have all the dinosaurs gone... Pelagornithidae birds evolved around the time that the dinosaurs disappeared from the planet, the end of the Cretaceous period approximately 65 to 64 million years ago. Tantalising facts of the fossil record that lead many scientists to theorise that the dinosaurs are still with us today. Here we are discussing a branch of the avian tree, a remarkable evolutionary pelagic bird, with strange anatomical features. Unlike Archaeopteryx of the Mesozoic era, our toothless bird, pseudo tooth or false toothed bird of the Pelagornithidae family did not have what might be referred to as proper teeth, dentin sleaved, serrated, sabre sharp or otherwise, but structures of bone known as 'Volkmann canals'. These premaxillary and mandibular beak bone vessels were raised upon the outer rim of each beak and looked very much like triangular teeth. In fact, they were fragile hollow vascular bone structures, at an atomic cortical level these were channels that may have carried blood or contained spongy bone material known as cancellous bone. These early beginnings of pseudo teeth were little use for the dissection of the birds meal, however they were evolved aids for gripping slippery prey, like modern-day albatrosses the pseudo tooth bird would skim over the surface of the ocean picking its prey from the surface, sliding its beak under the surface foam to pluck out soft-bodied marine dwellers such as cephalopods and fishes. The range of the pseudo tooths was global and they attained apex predator position over the surface of the oceans during their presence in the Cenozoic era, approximately 66 to 5 million years ago. At the start of the Paleocene 66 m.y.a. the pseudo tooth birds were about the size of an adult albatross of today, as the epochs progressed their size increased. By the Paleocene - Eocene period boundary of Morocco, 56 m.y.a. the smallest pseudotooh bird, Odontoptila inexpectata was around 5ft/1.5m wingspan. By the end of the Neogene period boundary 2.6 m.y.a. (the end of Pliocene epoch), the pseudo tooth bird had evolved to enormous sizes, some attaining a 20ft/6m wingspan. Over a 50 million year span, the Pelagornithidae pseudo tooth birds had attained the great size and seem to have mirrored the size development of the dinosaurs which started to evolve approximately 200 million years before their reign of the air above the oceans of the Cenozoic era 66 m.y.a. to today. Another tantalising thought is that the enigmatic Pelagornithidae birds narrowly missed early mans presence on earth, Homo habilis 2.6 million years, Pelagornithidae birds show up in the fossil record from the Paleocene epoch (Paleogene period 66 to 23 m.y.a.) to the end of the Pliocene epoch (5.3 to 2.6 m.y.a.) a reign of about 50 million years within these time periods. In the Paleocene fossils have been found of a size of the great Albatross around 3.5 metres wingspans. It is estimated the largest of the Pelagornithidae attained a size of about 5 to 6 metres, with the ability to fly rather than soar, that must have been quite a sight, a bird the size of a small aircraft flapping great wings with beaks full of triangular boney teeth blotting out the sun as it soared downward scooping its victim from the sea. The bones of the pseudo tooth were fragile, lightweight, thin-walled and so this made diving a none option for the toothless bird. The anatomical boney features meant the pseudo tooth bird could be easily injured if diving into seas. At one time science believed Pterosaurs only had the ability to soar rather than fly. Flight as we know it today in our avian friends. The latest research is leading away from these earlier theories of Pterosaurs, as new discoveries and established fossil remains are once again analysed afresh, it is becoming apparent that Pterosaurs had the anatomical ability to fly as well as soar. So too the great sized Pelagornithidae toothless birds would have dominated the ocean scene, ranging over the whole planet in great numbers, enormous wings beating the air to heights suitable for soaring great distances to new hunting grounds, populating the oceans of prehistory. The prehistoric pseudo tooth pelagic bird (Pelagic a bird that spends a significant portion of its life on the wing at sea, seldom making landfall except only to breed and rear young), had, therefore, a worldwide range, found from South America to North Africa, Europe to Australasia. However their remains are very scarce in the fossil record, this is perhaps due to their lightweight frame, their anatomy of thin-walled bones which have been easily dispersed, broken down and scattered before having the necessary time to fossilise successfully in the sediments of time. Pelagornithidae extinction is an unsolved mystery and may ever stay so, as with so much fossil record data it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what may have caused any extinction. In this case, the toothless birds are now the exception, theorists summarise that like other seabed the evolutional radiation of the toothless birds matches the cetaceans (whales), and pinnipeds (seals), of the Pliocene epoch, about the time these pelagic birds leave the fossil record. Believing competitive food source pressure from the aforementioned eventually put pay to the pseudo tooth birds out competing under, on the water and in coastal regions, pinnipeds competing on shoreline nesting grounds the toothless birds occupied. However, the author would hedge with other theories of global temperature and ecosystems changes. Around this period Antarctica became established, tectonic movement affected currents and waterways and some seas vanished as land formed. As these movements affected a negative way, they also counterbalanced in a positive way, new coastal zones, cliffs, would have made high and secure nesting grounds inaccessible by pinnipeds for instance. Perhaps the natural evolutions of life are more likely yet less dramatic extinction theory. The toothless birds survived for about 10 million years along with the great whales of that time, which weakens the direct competition theory between Pelagornithidae pseudo tooth birds and cetaceans or pinnipeds. A tantalising mystery, perhaps one day we may have accumulated enough data to be surer, until then once again the enigmatic fossils of pseudo tooth birds keep their beaks uncharacteristically and firmly sealed and quite. We The Fossil Store have now available in our fossil catalogue the fossil bones and jaws of these prehistoric pseudo toothless birds. The fossil remains are from the classic fossil bed location 120km south-east of Casablanca in the Middle Atlas of Morocco. Here one of the largest industries of Morocco is the production of phosphates. This requires the destruction of vast quantities of the phosphate layers and in these layers are the fossil birds of the Paleogene and Neogene periods. As the machinery rolls forward it exhumes thousands of tons of phosphates clays, marls and limestones which are in bands or layers of between 1m to 3m in thickness and range from the Cretaceous period (around 70 m.y.a.), Eocene period (50 m.y.a.). In the area near to Khouribga and are also found the Paleogene layers containing the pelagic toothless birds. The rock is used for the production of cement, the fossil bones are dredged up as a by-product and if not foraged immediately by the indigenous population of fossil gatherers become crushed, lost forever in the automated machinery along with all other phosphate material. In our catalogue are several fossil specimens of the genus of toothless bird, all found several years ago in the phosphate layers of Benguerir, Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco, North Africa. Here then is an opportunity to gain a partial skeleton or acquire a single piece an extremely fascinating and highly important fossil specimen which is an ever decreasing resource. Welcome to our world of fossil birds, enjoy the experience of viewing or owning a piece of the prehistory of our living planet.

Museum-quality bird fossils for sale by THE FOSSIL STORE for interior fossil bird bones

The Dinosaurs

Dinosaur hunting! Welcome to our Dinosaur hunt, It all begins here, intrigued by the unknown with an unquantifiable amount of preliminary research, preparation and planning, mounting up to a moment in the field dig, the sun relentlessly beating down while contemplating the possibilities of what is to be unearthed in this world of Dinosaurs! Travelling east in the stifling heat of the Saharan sirocco, observing mirages and catching glimpses of dust devils skimming over the blackened rock-strewn surface of a flat valley floor, crisscrossed with dried out oued's, treacherous dusty river beds scoring the boundless desert floor. These gullies of the oued's have no obvious geographical sign and the Landrover rocks from side to side as we narrowly miss each channel eroded into the desert, a result of the last flash flood which could have been up to several years before. The scorching sun gnaws at our team's fraught nerves a mixture of anticipation and fatigue, this being around midday and travelling from sunrise. The pre'83, Santana series III Land Rover has no such modern comforts as an air-conditioning system, so warm water gulped generously from plastic Sidi Ali bottles is going down very well and all too quickly... Eventually we stop to gain our bearings, by the Nomad eye not satellite, we survey printed maps and relate the contours of the map to the undulating geology and more importantly to our Moroccan team leader whom has lived in this region all his life, our friend of a quarter of a century in whom we entrust our whole expedition. We have ceased the endless jarring of the piste several times to make our bearings over this sea of sand, one-stop to change a tyre. Our regular and excellent Berber driver hired for the duration of our desert sojourn and affectionally nicknamed by our team as 'the silent assassin' completed the wheel change in a quiet calm manner with the customary ease of a skill regularly practised, again once more we move onwards to our dinosaur goals.We eventually arrive at a place marked by its unmemorable and monotonous and seemingly lifeless desert sand-scape. We are tracking down a particular group of Berber fossil diggers. Titbits, rumours had reverberated through village grapevines 50km north of this point and eventually before setting off on this latest journey, reaching our ears. All we had to do was navigate to a point that was for the present evading us. We tracked back and forth two long irritating hours to this point, picking our way through the flat desert, the desolate void infrequently dotted with low lying ridges. Trying to identify certain features in the vast remote region. In the far distance another range rose, this rising group of hills formed into a Hamada and focus's our interest. Mohammed surveys the horizon, while our map team attempt to orientate a route towards a waypoint we need to identify, pouring over an old tattered Michelin map, we are now perilously close to the border between Algeria and Morocco, a hotbed of military activity and political unrest, we need to have our wits about us in this region, no borders posts or markers showed which claimed territory we would be leaving or encroaching upon, a wrong turn could lead us into the possibly fatal situation however slim this maybe we didn't want to be in a position of having to extricate ourselves from any military infraction, Algerian border troops have been known to shoot before shouting out, or homing fire over several hundred yards in the tense atmosphere of this border territory, particularly towards evening or after nightfall. Penetrating the heat and stillness, this mechanical resounding ever closer, rather fortuitously one of our elusive fossil diggers appeared to us through the heat haze. It transpires he was returning to the dig site, we exchange pleasantries and seemingly discuss many other issues as Mohammed gleams what information we impatiently want to hear. An accord reached we follow our new guide behind a scratched, battered and mainly paintless museum exhibit of a moped piled high front and rear with essentials supplies of fresh bread, food and water, including atop one large bundle a very warm tajine pot! This Berber fossil hunter had slept in the nearest hamlet the night before and now returned some good distance to his friends bivouacking in a distant Oasis. One of his family members had a birthday so returning from a welcomed and rare break from digging became our teams moment of serendipity. As we scramble up the loose granular earth gaining hand and footholds the heat penetrates our lungs and reduces our progress, every few metres seemed like a momentous effort. The diggers down in the Oasis, an almond-shaped depression with the trace of another dry Oued running through it, the sides of which were sparsely scattered with occasional scrubby brown grasses, prickly pear cactus and a solitary stunted palm crooked over at a rakish angle which seemed to hold with our opinion of the atmosphere around the Oasis, a dead mule lay downwind and the overpowering stench was too much for our European stomachs, so we climbed in the hot afternoon as mad dogs and Englishmen do to work rather than suffer the unpleasant rotting smell of the animal. Climbing up above the light afternoon breeze we came across one the latest excavations, broken pieces of dinosaur bone and teeth were scattered around a large hole dug out of the rising hillside, large boulders of congealed sandy earth lay about in a sort of niche cut out of the sloping terrain, flattened ground caused by a long period of excavations and traffic of feet and tools coming to this level, perched on these were selected keepers, the interesting larger pieces of fossil dinosaur bones and the omnipresent Cyanoacrylate adhesives, super glues, often used in the field for convenience. These removed later in the Laboratory with skill and much patience. Our team scour the site for the best and evidence of something yet to come from the layers of overburden rock above the holes, as now the scene opened up to our slowly accustoming eyes in the strong sunlight that had somewhat blind spotted us and on first glance over the site and had prevented the discovery of many shafts dug into the hillside and these flattened areas. As we tracked around the curve of this particular raised Hamada site more and more holes big enough to squeeze a small framed Berber through, opened up before us. These tunnels, as that to all intents and purposes they were, unshored, the unstable earthen workings apt to collapse at any time it seemed to us, some borrowing downwards after a few feet. Once inside these bone veins the claustrophobic environment overcomes the intrepid, this is something to be endured, as the sides tremble with movement in other excavations, the thumping of picks digging out the millions of years worth of ecosystem deposits, sandy earth falls back down into the tunnel, ones desire is only to 'get out' immediately, in the desert there are not enough trees! Nevertheless, these diggers risk life and limb to rape the mountains for spoils with an air of nonchalance that actually masks a need to better the Berbers existence.’ Marine Reptiles Procured from around the world... Custom designed for one of our clients for London interiors. After thirty minutes or so we are joined by several dusty looking men sporting worn, tattered clothing, these fellow fossickers bring up to us dinosaur fossil specimens wrapped in torn bits of cotton, crumpled newspaper and even bubble wrap, having long ago lost its bubbles and protective qualities, these dinosaur bones and teeth are laid out before us to admire and discuss and finally barter for. The issues with this sort of exposure of the fossil bed, reclaiming from the earth its fossil dinosaur wonders is the amount of scientific data which can also be overlooked. Only the Berbers are privileged by King Mohammed VI and therefore the government of Morocco to have free access to the desert, nomad lands for generations. These Berbers in the desert do not fully understand why the scientific environmental evidence is important and so continue only to work away to improve their lot in life. We try to gain a thorough knowledge of the sites visited where possible, this adds to our own knowledge at the very least. In this dig, we found several good teeth and invigorated by what we were shown spent time with these excavators, towards the end of the day helping in the fossil site. On this occasion no large bones were uncovered although much was learnt about the terrain and the animals crammed in the layers of millions of years of deposition, Carcharodontosaurus lay alongside Raptor, Spinosaurus, sawfish, shark, pterosaur and myriad of fishes bones. Most badly damaged or worn, very few of these examples reach our web store catalogue, finding well-preserved teeth and bones is a combination of much work and patience. We continued with our search to the end of the day and inevitably finally remembered old acquaintances from the previous years as faces were cast with light over a campfire and the coffee we supply, as more faces appear from the desert dusk we discuss more sites and how to go about the future hunt of dinosaur fossils hoping to drop on or dig something up tomorrow that would surprise our party.

Museum-quality dinosaur specimen fossils for sale by THE FOSSIL STORE for interior fossil dinosaurs specimens

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus Fossil

Spinosaurus Bone Interior Display... The partial tibia tells a partial story of a battle of behemoths. The surface of the Spinosaurus leg bone in the upper part of the fossil dinosaur tibia scoured with claw marks, the marks caused by the ferocity of blows which surely brought the large mature dinosaur to its fatal end. We can only speculate the fate of this individual in life, in the fossil bone pathology we can observe the trail of blows to the mainstay leg bone which kept the dinosaur stable, able to defend itself and fend off further attack… We are delighted with the results of the fine mounting of our latest dinosaur trophy. The cradle wraps around the stable bone securing it in the life posture for display. The plinth finishes the fully custom-designed stand, beautifully toned with rich dark bronze patina. A mount is suitable for the prize, the dinosaur tibia stout and solid now excavated from the fossil Red Beds of the Taouz formation. A Hamada of the Sahara western desert between Algeria and Morocco. The Spinosaurus dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous period, Spinosaur's were believed to be mainly fish eaters, great sharks were its prey along with other large aquatic marine life. In swamps, lagoons and shallow seas of the region at that time in the Cretaceous ferocious crocodiles roamed. Carcharodontosaurus a theropod bigger than T’Rex competed with Spinosaurus for prey and this could have been the demise of this particular Spinosaur aegypticus. It is recorded in the pathology of the bone, gouging scar’s draw across the bone, these claw marks penetrated the flesh and muscle of the huge leg cutting into the bone, a crippling wounding, perhaps a blow like this would have felled the Spinosaurus enabling the larger predator to successfully end this individuals life. We shall probably never know, however, the evidence of the battle is recorded here. An exceptional fossil dinosaur bone, telling a rare story through its pathology, a great prehistoric scene from the time of the largest predators ever to have roamed the earth. Visit our dinosaur, Spinosaur fossil product listings to see many more images of this specimen tibia and the blows that felled the beast.

Museum-quality Spinosaurus fossils for sale by THE FOSSIL STORE for interior fossil Spinosaurus dinosaur claws

Invertebrate Notes

The appearance of trilobites in the fossil record is recorded in the sedimentary layers of the Cambrian period some five hundred and forty million years ago, that is quite a thought, especially if your not used to palaeontological timescales, so to put this into perspective the age of the earth at the time of the trilobites was around ten times that. Trilobites became the most complex form of life in that period and an apex predator. These hard segmented bodies and jointed appendages that also include modern insects and crustaceans. through the next two hundred and fifty million years post the emergence of the trilobites in the Cambrian, became a reign of supremacy on the ocean floor and above it. Some types may even have evolved into pelagic free-swimming varieties accounting for the trilobites global range and diversity. The range of Moroccan trilobites at the fossil store is intriguing as we update new varieties continually from expeditions into continental Africa our preferred area of collecting. This area boasts some of the best-preserved and diverse fossil trilobites of the world today, industrious diggers who are permanently searching for new fossil beds containing the fossil invertebrates occasionally find new types hidden in the limestone hamada, mountains and rocks which outcrop in the vast Saharan ténéré. The anatomy of the trilobites is a greater part of the fun of studying the group, identifying new types is the ultimate goal of the fossil diggers of this region. Here we describe a brief explanation of that anatomical terminology. The naming of all species on the planet was introduced by Carl Linnaeus around 1753 with the publication of; Species Plantarum. Linnaeus's work was the binomial nomenclature or Latin name which consists of two parts, the first, names the genus to which the species belongs, the second part identifying the species within that genus. To illustrate, humans belong to genus Homo and within this genus to the species Homo-sapiens. So all creatures are known by their binomial name. The trilobites are no exception to these rules and hopefully, you will find this helpful in our descriptions of trilobites within our web pages. Quite often trilobites are the subject of an error anatomically speaking. From Latin the name trilobite is broken down thus, tri - meaning three and - lobite from the Greek lobos, translates to lobe, so we get our three main constituent parts of the arthropod, the longitudinal lobes which name it and is the name of this species of prehistoric arthropod. The hard carapace body of the trilobite being an exoskeleton, this exoskeleton is scientifically termed the carapace, the carapace is the hard exterior, the exoskeleton is made up of silica-rich minerals calcium carbonate and calcite, these minerals are woven into a lattice framework of chitin, chitin is the substance of the exoskeletons of lobsters, crabs, insects etc. This hard exoskeleton protected the soft body parts of the trilobite. The exoskeleton or carapace is essentially made up of three lobes these lobes run the full length of the carapace through the head to the tail. The head is the cephalon and the tail the pygidium, the midsection is the thorax, containing the thoracic segments. That's basically the main bits! The error comes in occasionally when the name trilobite is referenced to the three parts of the cephalon, thorax and pygidium, when in fact the three naming genus parts are the three lobes running longitudinally through the invertebrates body length, head, body and tail. These lobes have names too, the central lobe is the axial lobe, the lobes each side are the pleural lobes. That completes the major parts of the trilobite, of course, there are dozens of other parts to a trilobite each with Latin anatomical terms which we will go through in later narratives at some point. We go into the field collecting specimen trilobites, expeditions into North Africa (read our other blog posts), to locate trilobite fossil sites, dig for trilobites and work alongside the fossil diggers, discuss the latest trilobite finds, trade with merchants and generally mess about with fossil trilobite bugs, which is our business and also our passion, we have established many fruitful associations with our Moroccan colleagues whom not only find trilobites, also work in the preparation laboratories. We work with our preparations on the ground in the regions of North Africa and so have important find information on the historical trail of each specimen we offer for sale, these pertinent facts, in this land of finite resources, is crucial in authenticating the genuineness of each fossil as an end product, offering for sale to you our customer the original, authentically retrieved fossil which has been treated carefully on removal from the fossil layers with the minimum amount of disturbance, cleaned and prepared sympathetically. Trilobite Collecting History; In North Africa really took off in the nineteen seventies when French geologists encouraged indigenous nomad Berbers of the desert to collect fossils on an annual basis. Year on year the geologists returned for a few weeks and more and more information and specimens were gleaned from the desert regions. These beginnings started with a clan of Berbers and grew into a national and international fossil industry. We sojourn to the desert in the company of the next generation of that localised clan and listen to the story of how it all began, the trials and tribulations of the families involved and the desert scene and what is to yet come. The oldest member of the family still owns a herd of about fifty camels which he watches through binoculars at long range from a rocky outcrop in the northern Sahara. His eldest son M'Bark has taken a back seat as his other sons Mohamed and Brahim came into the family business, their work evolving as did the trilobites aeons ago. The international trilobite fossil business has grown exponentially over the last four decades, relaxing of restraints on the free exchange of scientific information along with the opening up of international borders and trade, particularly with Russia and China has meant many new species are now being discovered. This has also encouraged fossil diggers in North Africa, particularly Morocco to dig deeper, longer and further into the vastness of the wilderness of the Sahara to unearth more rarities, this seems to be working, new species are found each year, adding to the known seventeen thousand species types already discovered worldwide and scientifically named. That sounds an incredible amount of trilobite types, however, when one considers trilobites existed as a group for around two hundred and fifty million years, they had time to develop, range and evolve into some of the weirdest animals on the planet. The fossil Store recently launched a new web site catalogue and we are in the process of loading hundreds of new fossils to this, do keep visiting our collection and watch it grow over the next few months we are sure you will find the voyage of discovery most rewarding. So are you ready to now take a peek at what The Fossil Store has to offer? Review our trilobite section from our menu or click any image above and be intrigued by the world of trilobite fossils!

Museum-quality Trilobite fossils for sale by THE FOSSIL STORE for interior fossil trilobite specimens

Record Breaking Mammoth Tusk Prices

Recently very positive results at Fossil Auctions has strengthened confidence for fossil Mammoth tusks and bucked the trend of undulating markets in slow periods. The Fossil Store has seen good results for fossils in general at auctions, Mammoth tusks have enjoyed excellent returns in recent years. The last decade has seen at Summers Place Auctioneers continued interest in buying Mammoth tusks. Particularly from the Far East, which has led to single Mammoth tusks securing figures in the order of tens of thousands of pounds. In 2005 The Fossil Store secured a massive single tusk weighing 60 kilograms, a fully mature adult Mammoth tusk of enormous proportions, 11 feet (3.35 metres) long. Set on our definitive custom bronze base and offered at Summer Place Auctioneers, the premier Statuary, Art and Natural History auctioneers, part of the Sotheby's International group based in West Sussex, England. This created a world record price at the time for a single Mammoth tusk selling to a captain of industry from the Far East, to become a decoration for a corporate office. The gross sale price paid was £40,000 with commission fees. Since then whole Mammoth skeletons have been sold at auction. The amazing natural history and sculptural elements are sort by private collectors and investment companies, they reside in homes offices and museums and create an unusual and distinctive exhibit. Over the last decade, ancient fossils have found a strong following from interior decorators, while The Fossil Store has supplied fossils to furnish luxury yachts and hotels at home and abroad. The trade-in Mammoth fossils have been equally attractive to buyers and created a highly competitively sort natural fossil art investment niche within the interior decorator trade. At this juncture, it may be prudent to explain the legality of the trade-in Mammoth fossils. The ruling on Siberian Mammoth ivory by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the international accord between different governments which ensures international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival, has agreed as Mammoths are extinct (Mammuthus primigenius) is around 10,000 to 50,000 years old and discovered in the frozen permafrost tundra above the Arctic Circle in remote areas of the Siberian wastes, it is quite legal, there are no restrictions on trading in the natural resource from this megafauna deposition. At the time of print, New Jersey, New York and California in the U.S.A. have banned the sale of Mammoth material, while the rest of the world continues to freely transport, buy and sell Mammoth fossils.

Museum-quality Mammoth fossils for sale by THE FOSSIL STORE for interior fossil Mammoth skeletons

Fossil Investments!

In a spectacular section of fossils and minerals the international auction company Christie's, once again took record prices in their auction rooms in Knightsbridge, London. Fossils proved to outperform the mineral offerings. In a sale of eighty-nine lots, consisting of 45 fossil lots and 44 mineral inclusions. Only four fossils remained unsold against ten mineral lots, making an overage unsold total percentage of only 17%. In the current climate that is quite a feat and even more so when closely analysing the statistics. A third of the sale, 29 lots toppled over the higher estimate figures, this made up of 12 minerals and a greater group of 17 fossil specimens going well overestimates. Reviewing here only the seventeen fossils which achieved over the top estimates, they brought forth a total revenue of £173,375, against estimates of £123,000. Overages proved a very successful day under the auctioneer's gavel.Leaving the stat's there to discuss why these fossils proved so desirable, begs a question or two, were these fossils particularly rare or beautiful examples of natural history. The answer is not really. Is the reason behind these remarkable results more to do with the modus operandi, how an auction company presents its products (as products they are however glossily offered and romanced), rather than the products themselves. That may go a little way to the commanding higher price achieved, well that's what's in your mind yes? This criticism may be merited however we at The fossil store do not feel this is entirely the case, this time around the auction block. What we do feel by way of some industry (fossil industry-remember that phrase), is that an osmosis effect is something a little more tangible than speculation over the talents of the auctioneering companies. The market is changing and change when it comes moves as swift as a scrub fire. In the current market when many investments have not performed in the steady growth pattern that has been previously enjoyed, investors look to diversify and we at The Fossil Store believe this is the current trend, once again prehistoric art and sculpture is being seen as a safer hedge against the ravages of our current investment period. We have seen it before in many guises, human nature is one of continual and perpetual movement, this leads to another opportunity to gain a sound investment which shall steadily increase in value well above the rates of inflation. In this example at Christie’s in London in one day, in one auction, the increase over thought value is well beyond 100% and going yet upward. Take into account also the much-added value of feeding one's imagination and the environment with natural beauty, an awareness of our historical past, with a style and grace of natural history elements, one can live with this investment, see it, touch it, feel the investment bloom and eventually bear fruit for the investor. Surely this emerging pattern is one well thought through, in a world turning its eyes towards preservation, protecting and nurturing our environment and in this endeavour to understand the past and all its facets and nuances, a wise investment may be to invest in the future through the past and in these extinct life forms, some 500 million years ago, is indubitably a good place to start.

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No#1 DESTINATION FOR NEW PALAEONTOLOGY DISCOVERIES FOR SHOW-STOPPING SPACES OUT THERE! (51)

Ocean Life - Past + Present

Theropod Dinosaur Specimen Discoveries

Megalodon Shark Teeth

Fossil Cherifiensis Crocodile

Story Of A Meteorite Fall

Fossil Mosasaurs Uncovered

The Evolution Of Birds

The Dinosaurs

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus Fossil

Invertebrate Notes

Record Breaking Mammoth Tusk Prices

Fossil Investments!

No#1 DESTINATION FOR NEW PALAEONTOLOGY DISCOVERIES FOR SHOW-STOPPING SPACES OUT THERE! (51)

Ocean Life - Past + Present

Theropod Dinosaur Specimen Discoveries

Megalodon Shark Teeth

Fossil Cherifiensis Crocodile

Story Of A Meteorite Fall

Fossil Mosasaurs Uncovered

The Evolution Of Birds

The Dinosaurs

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus Fossil

Invertebrate Notes

Record Breaking Mammoth Tusk Prices

Fossil Investments!

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