The Daily Digger

After I left school yesterday, I drove for over 7 hours up to Seymour, Texas where we dig in the red beds of the Craddock Ranch.  The dirt is red because of iron in the soil, and the site is world-famous for its Permian fossils. 

 

We were up for breakfast, dark and early at 6am. 

 

We used this level tool to take some elevation measurements on the site.  Dr. Bakker is interested in figuring out position of fossils in relationship to each other.  To get an idea of who was living with whom and how the ecology of the area looked during the Permian, we want to document which creatures we're finding in the same level.  So we measure the height of this tool from a known point and then measure the depth of each find in relationship to that. 

 

For example, what is the depth of Lois (a new dimetrodon Chris found this week--notice the fin spines positioned almost horizontally across the photo) compared to the area where we found Willi?  In the case of Lois, much higher.  So Willi probably never met Lois, as these two individuals probably did not live at the same time.

 

 

More finds today:

a piece of humerus?

 

a limb bone from a tiny amphibian

a dimetrodon jaw with teeth! that Chris found right near Lois

(see photo of dimetrodon fin spines above)

a trimerorhachis tooth with part of the jaw attached?

(Notice the characteristic textured amphibian bone.)

 

a piece of xenacanth shark spine

(Notice the two rows of spikes along this side of the spine.  If you were a predator, would you want to tangle with that?  We have exciting evidence that dimetrodon did!)

 

an armadillo--odd that it's rooting around in the daytime

 

I followed this badger to its home.  I'd never seen one before!

 

 

gorgeous red admiral butterflies flitting about in the quarry