RE: dino-list of the century, state dinosaur of the century

[Sue Blakey <ellensb@trib.com>]

All:
General lay reference (small handbook): Fossils of the Green River Formation. 
Stefano Piccini. GeoFIN, Italy, Geolinea Series.
Ellen Sue Blakey
Education Director
Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Thermopolis, WY
ellensb@trib.com
-----Original Message-----
From:   Allan Edels [SMTP:edels@email.msn.com]
Sent:   Wednesday, May 13, 1998 9:59 PM
To:     Dinosaur Mailing List - Gen. Distribution
Subject:        Fw: dino-list of the century, state dinosaur of the century

All:

    I sent this (and a shorter message) to Truett Garner.  Then I figured
that others might want this information as well.  So here it is:


-----Original Message-----
From: Allan Edels <edels@email.msn.com>
To: DINOBOY@worldnet.att.net <DINOBOY@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 1998 11:43 PM
Subject: Re: dino-list of the century, state dinosaur of the century


>Truett:
>
>    I did a little quick research - and confirmed my earlier email to you:
>
>Royal Tyrrell Museum's Fossil list says:
>
>    _Knightia_:
>
>        Herring are abundant in modern oceans. During the Eocene, members
of
>    the family also inhabited the fresh waters of western North America.
>    _Phareodus_,  large and deep-bodied, would have been its major
predator.
>    _Knightia_ was a small minnow-like relative that swam in the same
>    waters,  feeding on plankton and algae.
>


>From a fossil retailer:
>
>         The fish of fossil lake:  These fossil fish were found in a region
>known as the Green River Formation in Wyoming.  They are estimated to be
>between 62-49 million years old, living during what is known as the Eocene
>Epoch.  This region hosts some of the best examples of fish fossils ever
>found, as well as some rare plant life, vertebrates, and even birds and
>bats.  The reason that these fossils are so good, is due to the rapid
burial
>of the fish by fine silty dirt, combined with great amounts of pressure.
>Some scientists believe that some "mass deaths" layers of the fish were
>caused by algae bloom that turned out to be toxic to them.
>
>    The fish species found in Fossil Lake are quite numerous as well as
>diverse.  The three major types of fish:
>
>         _Diplomystus_ recognizable for it's distinctive jaw line, and
>forked tail.  This fish belonged to the herring family, and was assumed to
>be a surface feeder.  Large fossils of _Diplomystus_ are rare, and highly
>prized.
>
>    _Knightia_ is the most abundant of all the Fossil Lake fish.   They are
>smaller fish, 4-9 inches in length, also   belonging to the herring family.
>_Knightia_ is one of the fish species who suffered several of the curious
>"death layers".
>
>        Although not in the same family, _Priscacara_ looks very much like
>today's sunfish.   "Priscies" usually range between 4-6 inches, but
>sometimes rare large 11 inch specimens are found, and are snapped up
quickly
>by collectors.   Interestingly, these fish are almost never found as a
>juvenile.
>
>
>    There.  That should do it.
>
>        Allan Edels
>
>
    Allan