Discovery of First Jurassic Vertebrate Fossils in Texas

Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have unearthed the inaugural Jurassic vertebrate fossils in Texas, notably those of a plesiosaur, in the Malone Mountains located in West Texas. This discovery completes a vital missing piece in the fossil record of Texas, previously marked by marine invertebrates. A pictorial representation of a Jurassic plesiosaur is available as an artist’s creation.

A scientific team led by experts from The University of Texas at Austin has revealed the first-known Jurassic vertebrate fossils from Texas, thereby filling a major void in the state’s paleontological history.

The newly-discovered ancient bone fragments, which include parts of the extremities and spine of a plesiosaur, provide valuable insights into the prehistoric era, approximately 150 million years ago, when this extinct aquatic creature roamed the shallow waters that then extended over current northeastern Mexico and far-west Texas.

These bones were located in West Texas’s Malone Mountains during two distinct fossil exploration missions conducted by Steve May, a research associate at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences Museum of Earth History.

Prior to this remarkable discovery, only marine invertebrates like ammonites and snails had been collected and documented from the Jurassic outcrops in Texas. May affirmed that the newfound fossils are substantial evidence of the presence of Jurassic bones in the region.

“There are Jurassic vertebrates present out there,” commented May. “We have uncovered some, but more await discovery, revealing the story of what this region of Texas was like during the Jurassic period.”

Photographs show Steve May and Lisa Boucher holding Jurassic fossils from West Texas’s Malone Mountains at The University of Texas at Austin’s vertebrate paleontology collections, where the fossils are now housed. They are both authors of a recent paper on the first Jurassic vertebrates discovered and described in Texas.

A paper elaborating on the bones and other fossilized remains was published in Rocky Mountain Geology on June 23.

The Jurassic period is a renowned prehistoric epoch characterized by the existence of colossal dinosaurs. Human knowledge of these creatures and other life forms from the Jurassic period stems from the fossil remnants they left behind.

Locating Jurassic-aged fossils necessitates Jurassic-aged rocks. Due to Texas’s geological past, the state has scarce outcrops from this time. The Malone Mountains contain 13 square miles of Jurassic-aged rocks, the majority of such rocks within the state.

In 2015, Steve May, while conducting research for a book, discovered the absence of Jurassic bones in Texas’s fossil record, and decided to explore the Malone Mountains.

Large bone fragments were referred to in a 1938 paper on the geology of the Malone Mountains by Claude Albritton, who subsequently became a geology professor at Southern Methodist University (SMU). This reference was sufficient to prompt May and his colleagues to venture to West Texas, where they discovered large bone fragments. The plesiosaur fossils were found to be eroded and fragmented.

Louis Jacobs, a professor emeritus at SMU and co-author of the study, expressed optimism about future discoveries, saying, “Geologists will go out there in search of more bones. They will find them, and pursue other scientific inquiries in their own unique ways.”

Presently, the Malone Mountains stand out against the arid desert backdrop. During the Jurassic, sediments were deposited near sea level, likely within a few miles of the shore.

The research team uncovered other specimens indicative of the ancient shallow marine habitat, including fossilized driftwood filled with marine worm burrows, and the shells of clams, snails, and ammonites. A variety of plant fossils, such as a pinecone and wood with potential growth rings, were also found.

According to co-author and paleobotanist Lisa Boucher, the director of the Jackson School’s Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Lab, Jurassic plant fossils from lower latitudes near the Earth’s equator are relatively uncommon. Boucher indicated that the plant discoveries should make the Malone Mountains a significant area of interest for paleobotanists and those focusing on paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

Despite over a century of scientific exploration in the Malone Mountains, the retrieval of Jurassic bones remained elusive until now. May has speculated various reasons for this delay, ranging from the remote location to past research interests. However, Boucher emphasized the importance of fieldwork, stating that venturing to a site to see what exists is often a key part of scientific discovery.

Reference: “A record of Late Jurassic vertebrates from Texas” by Steven R. May, Kenneth S. Bader, Lisa D. Boucher, Louis L. Jacobs, Joshua R. Lively, Timothy S. Myers, and Michael J. Polcyn, 1 June 2023, Rocky Mountain Geology. DOI: 10.24872/rmgjournal.58.1.19

Additional co-authors of the study include Kenneth Bader, a laboratory manager at the Jackson School Museum of Earth History; Joshua Lively, the curator of paleontology at Utah State University and a Jackson School alumnus; and Timothy Myers and Michael Polcyn, both researchers at Southern Methodist University.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Jurassic vertebrate fossils

More about Jurassic vertebrate fossils

• University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences
• Rocky Mountain Geology Journal
• Southern Methodist University’s Department of Earth Sciences
• Paleontology at Utah State University
• Jackson School Museum of Earth History