If you’ve been an intrepid reader of the Burke Blog for a while, you have probably heard of Burke Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. Christian Sidor and his graduate students’ research trip to Antarctica this winter. Well, we have an update: some fossils from Antarctica have arrived at the Burke Museum!
The fossils were discovered during Christian’s most recent research trip to Antarctica in Dec. 2010 – Jan. 2011. All of the fossils date from the Triassic era, ranging from 250—240-million-years-old. The research trip yielded three exciting finds; one is a large amphibian skull, which may be a new species. Another is a Lystrosaurus, a relative to mammals. This find is significant because it provides proof of the continental shift that divided the once existing supercontinent Pangaea. The third find is Prolacerta, an early distant relative to the dinosaurs.
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| Dr. Christian Sidor in Antarctica |
Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications
