Lot 1479
Rare Permian Age Primitive Reptile. Captorhinus magnus was one of the very first reptiles that laid its eggs on dry land (amniote) and was an early ancestor of synapsids. It is known as a stem reptile which other reptiles branched off from. Eventually, one of these branches evolved into the Archosaurs that survived the Permian extinction and gave rise to the dinosaurs much later. This impressive looking mounted specimen is a composite. The bones are carefully cleaned, matched and assembled to yield an impressive specimen such as this large 18 inch long museum quality specimen mounted on a 20 x 11 inch black matrix and having only about 15 percent restoration mostly on the ribs and delicate spines. The 270 million year old bones are found in a quarry in the arroyo formation near Lawton, Oklahoma and represent a catastrophe that killed hundreds of these reptiles at one time. The detail is excellent, particularly the large 3 x 2.5 inch fierce skull which has been prepared open to show the rows of tiny sharp teeth and also the mysterious small round hole in the center of the skull which paleontologists speculate may have allowed sunlight to enter the skull to the pineal gland. The ribs have been cemented to the matrix, adding stability to the very delicate bones and still keeping a very natural appearance that the strange reptile is crawling over the matrix.
Add $75.00 for domestic shipping.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.
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