SEDONA, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PermianMuseum.com announced today it added 3 new Permian fossils that were forerunners of the dinosaurs and released the fossil images for public domain use.
Two of the fossils appear to be forerunners of the Pistosaur / Plesiosaur lineage that first appeared 252 - 247 Mya. The third appears to be a forerunner of the Pterosaur / Pteranodon lineage which first appeared 228 Mya.
The fossils come from Northern Arizona, which was a shallow ocean during the Permian period (300 - 252 Mya). The Permian period experienced 4 extinction and recovery pulses. The last extinction pulse ~ 252 Mya was earth's most severe known and the quantum re-speciation that followed introduced a new cast of characters that gave rise to the age of the dinosaurs.
"The Permian coastal ocean floor was covered with hard skeleton labyrinth structures built by single celled organisms called Calcium Secreting Filter Feeders (CSFFs). In 2014, we displayed sectioned specimens that revealed these structures had the ability to host a 'grab bag DNA reassortment process' in shallow oceans. This in turn would result in creation of new life forms consistent with the timelines and re-speciation observed in the recovery pulses. While this process could happen, the next step is to show empirical evidence that it did happen, which is where we are today," according to Mark Zamoyski, the Curator of the free on-line museum.
"One of the expected outputs of such a process would be new life forms, some of which would go on to become part of the new ecosystem, which brings us to the fossils below."
We now have two Pistosaur / Plesiosaur forerunner fossils, the smaller is fossilized as a bluish crystal. The larger is a full body limestone fossilization, with an apparent mortal bite mark on its right side.
The Pterosaur / Pteranodon forerunner is more significant as it also shows the integration of CSFF DNA with soft tissue. This is another expected output of the grab bag DNA reassortment process and the likely transition to boned life forms. In the absence of growth control pathways, the projected linear growth pattern of the CSFF structures (aka bone) is exactly consistent with the exaggerated beak and back of the head, and extended wing structure with stretched tissue, as observed in the Pterosaur / Pteranodon lineage.
The collection of fossils posted to date may be viewed at https://www.permianmuseum.com.
Media Contact:
Mark Zamoyski
928-862-2376
[email protected]
SOURCE Permian Museum
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