COLLECTING FOSSILS AND ARTIFACTS. - copyright Paleo Direct, Inc. Fossils and artifacts are a highly specialized area of collecting and interest. The realm of collecting fossils and artifacts encompasses such a broad arena and consequently, demands a very broad spectrum of knowledge and education for both, the dealer, and the collecting buyer. Knowledge is required spanning an enormous area of science. More importantly, a COMPLETE understanding to properly identify each specimen and to be able to recognize enhancement and fakes cannot be overemphasized! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER so arm yourself with as much education and experience as you can if you wish to build a collection of properly identified and authentic FOSSILS and ARTIFACTS.
Fossil collecting is a highly rewarding and educational passion. A personal fossil or artifact collection can transport one back in time and impact those that might never have exposure to real specimens, up close and personal. It may seem confusing or arbitrary as to how a specific item is priced. Fossils. Bird Evolution.
Fossil Sites. Dinosaurs and Humans. List of fossil sites. Africa[edit] Asia[edit] Europe[edit] Oceania[edit] North America[edit] South America[edit] Antarctica[edit] See also[edit] [edit] References[edit] External links[edit] World's oldest sperm discovered in 17m-year-old Queensland fossil. The world's oldest fossilised sperm discovered in North QueenslandSteady rain of bat dropping perfectly preserved the fossilised spermThe sperm was longer than the ancient prawn it belonged toRiversleigh site considered one of world's richest fossil deposits By Louise Cheer Published: 09:45 GMT, 14 May 2014 | Updated: 12:01 GMT, 14 May 2014 The world's oldest fossilised sperm belonging to an ancient freshwater shrimp that dates back 17 million years has been discovered amidst preserved bat droppings in a North Queensland conservation park. A steady rain of droppings from thousands of bats led to extraordinarily high levels of phosphorous in the water of what was once a cave in the Queensland outback.
The unique conditions perfectly preserved the ancient sperm. It is thought the sperm was longer than the animal's body when it was alive, but it was tightly coiled up inside the sexual organ of the fossilised crustacean, called an ostracod. A cross section of the fossilised ostracod sperm. NZ Fossils. Paleontology - The study of Fossils. The Study of Fossils Paleontology : Definition Have you ever wondered how we know so much about the animals like dinosaurs that existed millions of years ago?
Who discovered them for us? Who chalked out the basic history of the evolution of humans on the Earth? We have a special branch of science known as paleontology that deals with the study of past life. The word paleontology is derived from three Greek words: ‘palaeos’ meaning ‘old’, ‘ont‘ meaning ‘being’ and ‘logos’ meaning ‘knowledge’. Some paleontologists study fossil plants, some study fossil mammals, some study fossil aquatic animals, while the others study dinosaurs. What do Paleontologists do? Paleontology is fun but requires hard work.
Is it boring? Not at all! How is Paleontology useful for us? The science of paleontology aims at discovering more information about the living organisms that lived before us as well as various climatic conditions and their impact on life forms. Do you have it in you to become a Paleontologist? Fossils, Dinosaurs, Paleontology & Petrification. Fossil. Fossilization processes Silicified (replaced with silica) fossils from the Road Canyon Formation (Middle Permian of Texas). The star-shaped holes (Catellocaula vallata) in this Upper Ordovician bryozoan represent a soft-bodied organism preserved by bioimmuration in the bryozoan skeleton.[7] The process of fossilization varies according to tissue type and external conditions. Permineralization Permineralization is a process of fossilization that occurs when an organism is buried. The empty spaces within an organism (spaces filled with liquid or gas during life) become filled with mineral-rich groundwater.
Casts and molds In some cases the original remains of the organism completely dissolve or are otherwise destroyed. Authigenic mineralisation This is a special form of cast and mold formation. Replacement and recrystallization Replacement occurs when the shell, bone or other tissue is replaced with another mineral. Adpression (compression-impression) Soft tissue, cell and molecular preservation. What is a Fossil | Fossil Definition. New species of ‘missing link’ between dinosaurs and birds identified -- ScienceDaily. Known as the 'Icon of Evolution' and 'the missing link' between dinosaurs and birds, Archaeopteryx has become one of the most famous fossil discoveries in Palaeontology. Now, as part of an international team of scientists, researchers at The University of Manchester have identified a new species of Archaeopteryx that is closer to modern birds in evolutionary terms.
Dr John Nudds, from the University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the team have been re-examining one of the only 12 known specimens by carrying out the first ever synchrotron examination, a form of 3D X-ray analysis, of an Archaeopteryx. Thanks to this new insight, the team says that this individual Archaeopteryx fossil, known as 'specimen number eight', is physically much closer to a modern bird than it is to a reptile. Therefore, it is evolutionary distinctive and different enough to be described as a new species -- Archaeopteryx albersdoerferi. Fossils For Sale - FossilEra.com. Dinosaur Fossils, Mammal Fossil, Raptor Claws, T-rex Claw, Fossil Collection, Invertebrate fossil, woolly mammoth tusks, Raptor Bones, Triceratops horns, Fossil Sale, Saber-Tooth. What are fossils worth? – Roy Plotnick. $2.36 million dollars. That’s how much a private seller paid for a nearly complete skeleton of a carnivorous dinosaur sold at auction in Paris.
My first reaction was, “that’s nearly enough money to fund paleontology research in the United States for a year!” My second reaction, one that I share with my colleagues, is that fossils like this belong in a public museum. It may be a new species, but it has never been and may never be formally studied by an expert. As David Polly, President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology told Nature, “Fossil specimens that are sold into private hands are lost to science.” What the sale does is raise the underlying issue of what a fossil, any fossil, is worth. The real problem comes from the same urge that occurs in every hobby that is based on collecting objects (I speak as a toy train collector). When I was an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to be a work-study student at the American Museum of Natural History. Fossil Collector contact list.
To be notified when collectors join this page (of what they would like to trade), Join Our Mailing List Looking for something in particular ? If you want to trade fossils, contact someone on the list below or leave your contact message. This page is for fossil collectors to meet other fossil collectors, for correspondence or trade. If you would like to place yourself on this list and have other collectors contact you, please register at the bottom of the page. Happy fossiling !!! PHIL MAYS (maze@gamewood.net) Danville, Virginia, USA DAVID CASSELL (echinoidave@yahoo.com ) I collect echinoids, crustaceans, fish, small reptile&hibian skeletons, and seeds& cones.
BRIAN JOHNSON (paleobdj@aol.com) I have an extensive collection of a wide variety of fossils; most have been collected in North and South Carolina (shark, whale, marine mammals, echinoderms, and some ecphora). MARCIAL MARCO (marcosaura@interbook.net) I am fossil collector from Spain.I have a lot of them. RON RICHIE (ronr@flash.net) Fossil Collector contact list. How to Sell Fossils. Collecting fossils to sell appeals to amateur and professional paleontologists alike. In fact, many trade shows where collectors can purchase or sell fossils are visited by members of the scientific community, as well as hobbyists.
Knowing the best ways to sell fossils can help make the process more personally rewarding, financially profitable and more significant than just a labor of love. Learn How to Sell Fossils Understand that fossils can range in monetary value from priceless for the very rare to utterly nothing for common fossils. For instance, sea shell fossils specific to the Great Plains of the U.S. are so commonplace that they can literally be found lying on the ground, so they have no real monetary value. On the other hand, the value of the complete mastodon skeleton recently unearthed in upstate New York is beyond measure. Appreciate the fact that fossils to not depreciate. Take advantage of one of the Internet's largest marketplaces: eBay.
Tip Warning.