The remains of animals that lived in the tropics have been found in a farmer's field.
The roughly 183-million-year-old fossils were discovered beneath a field of English Longhorn cattle.
The remains of fish, ancient marine reptiles, squids, rare insects and more have been discovered by a team of paleontologists. The fossils come from an inland rock layer that was last exposed in the U.K.
Sally and Neville Hollingworth, avid fossil collectors who discovered the remains of mammoths in the nearby Cotswold Water Park, discovered the new site at Court Farm, Kings Stanley.
The Toarcian is a time when these fossils came from. The clay layers exposed at this site have yielded a significant number of well-preserved marine vertebrate fossils that are comparable to the famous and exquisitely preserved similar fauna of the Strawberry Bank Lagersttte. Excavations at Kings Stanley have revealed a rich source of fossil material, particularly from a rare layer of rock that has not been exposed since the 19th century.
The site is quite remarkable, with numerous beautifully preserved, and it was led by a paleontologist from The University of Manchester. In the U.K., fossils like this are rare.
The paleontology collection of the Museum in the Park will be a significant part of the collection. "We are excited to expand our knowledge of the geology of the Stroud District and we are looking forward to a time when we can share these amazing finds with our members and visitors," said one of the team members. I can't wait to share details of my time on the excavation team in the members' newsletter.
Several fossil fish had great details of their scales, fins and eyeballs. The fish head was three-dimensionally preserved and belonged to a type of fish known as Pachycormus. The fish looks like it is jumping off the rock. Steven Dey of Think See3D created a 3D model of this fossil.
Field observations and preparation of the fauna found so far show that the Court Farm fossils were quickly buried. The layers around the skeletons formed early on, as the original layers are still intact. The fossils werepreserved in three-dimensional time capsule because of the concretions.
A rich repository will be created by using the latest techniques to understand the unique fauna. We will leave a reference section after the excavations are over. There will be opportunities for community groups and local schools to be involved in the research as there will be a focus on targeting audiences in areas of low interest.
Adam Knight said, "I'm delighted that after the initial work that Sally and Nev did over three years ago we now have a full-scale dig on the farm involving a range of fossil experts from The Natural History Museum." On Friday we were joined by Emily Baldry, who is going to the University to study paleontology, and it was great to see her enthusiasm for her chosen profession. It has been great to host the dig and I'm looking forward to seeing the results.
The team will continue to analyze the specimen and publish their research with the fossils that will be displayed at the Museum in the Park.
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