Happy #FossilFriday! Here's the first ankylosaur osteoderm from our field area in the "Mesaverde" Formation, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. We have a few teeth, but this is the first non-tooth fossil from these iconic dinosaurs. Collected under #BLMPaleo permit, accessioned at @alfpaleo.bsky.social 🧪

alt text

brown, lens-shaped fossil bone, with pitting and texturing on the surface

4 comments — live from bluesky

mmmmmmm

Oh wow nature

Anthony Vs. Utahceratops · 1 · 1d ago

I ran into a pile of these in the Judith last month. I'll revisit the site next week

Andy Farke · 0 · 1d ago

No piles for us in the "Mesaverde", at least yet! All of the ankylosaur material from the Bighorn Basin could fit in one hand.

PaleoJim · 0 · 1d ago

Ventral view??

Andy Farke · 1 · 1d ago

Ventral, oblique, and side view here!

PaleoJim · 1 · 1d ago

Hmmm..... Best guess....ankylosaurid vs nodosaurid, but prefer a population of osteoderms.

Andy Farke · 1 · 1d ago

The site is a multi-taxon bonebed, so a bit of a grab bag.

Andy Farke · 0 · 1d ago

Hoping for more soon...this is the only example we have so far! We've got a tooth or two from microsites in the same basin.

Anthony Vs. Utahceratops · 1 · 1d ago

I'm calling these nodosaur Uncle Jim

PaleoJim · 0 · 1d ago

Different than any anky osteoderms I have ever seen...so far....

PaleoJim · 2 · 1d ago

Could be a nodosaurid like Glyptodontopelta.

Andy Farke · 0 · 1d ago

Thank you for your thoughts and expertise!