ca newt mating ball, fossil

[shocksshawn69]

this is the most incredible fossil of 3 ca newts that got rapidly buried why in the mating act, look at the images. before you disregard this as just a rock, lopen all the images first, you will be amazed as this is one of the most incredible fossils ever...

[PachyWhatnotOdon]

Sorry, but this is, unfortunately, not a fossil newt. It's extremely rare - if not entirely unheard off - for amphibians to be preserved in three dimensions, since soft-tissues are rare to preserve to begin with and amphibians, moreover, have very small and fragile bones that easily decay and get scattered. To my knowledge, there's only one three-dimensional body fossil of a mummified frog, with the rest either just being the skeletal remains or skeletal remains with skin residues. What you have here, is a rock with quartzite inclusion - the white stuff, which actually consists of crystals - where the rock has suggestively shaped itself around the quartzite. Pareidolia - that is, the human brain wanting to see shapes in inanimate objects - does the rest.

[shocksshawn69]

Hi, first of all, i would like to say that i have 45 years, and tens of thousands of hours, hands on experience collecting fossils, both parents were professional paleontologists,.i was literally born in the jungles of Guatemala as my parents were on a dig back in 1959 and got caught up by bad weather had to stay put until eventually my mom was in labor. i spent my whole childhood moving from one country to another living in one makeshift tent after another, never having a solid roof over my head as my parents were always on one excavation after another. I spoke 7 languages by the time i was 9, including Chinese along with numerous dialects....i have been collecting fossils since i was old enough to dig and sift through dirt. finally spending 19 semesters at Berkeley studying earth science. with a major, and undergraduate in geology, and a graduate in paleontology and dendrology. you started your reply with the words, "its extremely rare, if not unheard of" while i understand your skepticism, let me point out a few corrections, the composite mineral in this is not quartzite, it is silica sand. you did exactly what i did when you first saw this, instantly putting it into pareidolia status. after which time, you refused to look closer at the piece. i happen to be very learned in salamanders, and have much experience with the ca newt mating ball act. which you most likely disregarded and did not take the time to actually examine and compare the images i attached for comparison. notice that Quartzite does not react with UV light neither does silica sand, unless there is high levels of carbon. carbon does not bind nor is it found included in either mineral naturally, its only found in these minerals when those minerals have filled in the decomposed empty space of what was once biological organic matter, its left behind during the fossilization process, if you'll notice that the piece is highly reactive to UV light (blue images) i urge you to to take a closer look at the images especially the one under UV light and look at the back foot, compare it with the newt in the image above it that is shown mounted on a female. do a little more research on how silica sand preserves soft tissue, its unlike any other type sand, or mineral, for that matter, so long as rapid burial takes place, and no decomposition has begun before burial, the soft tissue, even the skin will be preserved and filled in exactly as it was upon being byried, thats why i said, incredible fossil in my explanation when posted.

[hubertus68]

Where are the other three feet?

[Jelte.]

this is the most incredible fossil of 3 ca newts that got rapidly buried why in the mating act, look at the images. before you disregard this as just a rock, lopen all the images first, you will be amazed as this is one of the most incredible fossils ever...

It is a regular stone

Gr jelte

[Max pijpelink]

Ziet er weer lekker AI uit, @PachyWhatnotOdon wat denk jij?

[PachyWhatnotOdon]

i urge you to to take a closer look at the images especially the one under UV light and look at the back foot, compare it with the newt in the image above it that is shown mounted on a female. do a little more research on how silica sand preserves soft tissue, its unlike any other type sand, or mineral, for that matter, so long as rapid burial takes place, and no decomposition has begun before burial, the soft tissue, even the skin will be preserved and filled in exactly as it was upon being byried, thats why i said, incredible fossil in my explanation when posted.

Unfortunately, I feel the consensus here is clear on the matter. However, if you truly feel this is a unique fossil, I'd advise you to take it to a museum or other academic in the field, to see what they have to say on the issue. With that, I'll be closing this discussion.