Dr Tyler Lyson, from Washington’s Smithsonian Institute in the USA, and Dr Gabriel Bever, from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, were part of a field trip organized by Professor Bruce Rubidge, of the Bernard Price Institute.
They hoped to discover more about the Eunotosaurus, a distant ancestor of the tortoise.
The first fragmentary fossil remains were found outside Beaufort West in 1892 and later described by palaeontologist, H G Seeley.
Then, about ten years ago Kobus Snyman, son of Prince Albert’s Swartberg High School principal, found an almost complete well-preserved fossil on their family farm, Eselfontein. Only the skull was missing.
This specimen is on display in the Fransie Pienaar Museum. The Bernard Price team collected 143 fossils, but sadly did not find one of a Eunotosaurus.
As the Karoo has been designated a 21st century worldwide tortoise hotspot Professor Rubidge has borrowed the Snyman specimen for CT scanning and further preparation i.e. removal of surrounding rock.
“The team hopes to find evidence of bone structure which could have given rise to the development of the modern tortoise’s characteristic shell,” said local palaeontologist Judy Mcguire. “
ROSIE''S ROUNDUP - A KAROO NEWSLETTER
The above was taken from Rosie''s Roundup, a monthly newsletter edited by Rose Willis, a Karoo resident.
The newsletter is chock full of fascinating historical tales, facts, food and other gems all about this special part of South Africa.
You can subscribe to Rosie''s Roundup for just R75 for 12 issues.
Contact Rose Willis for more info at karootour@telkomsa.net
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