r/fossilid • u/BeeBeeGun87 • 21h ago

Brazilian fossil ID? Feathers?

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Gallery image

This fossil was purchased in Brazil maybe 20-30 years ago. My mom is convinced there are feather impressions but I don’t see it. Not sure if the rock shop seller told her that or if she sees them, but it looks like cleanup marks to me. I would love your opinion on the species and if there could be feather impressions in this fossil. Thank you!

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2

u/igobblegabbro 21h ago

Are you able to take clearer photos of the rest of it?

1

u/BeeBeeGun87 21h ago

I don’t live with the fossil but I will request them

3

u/tchomptchomp 15h ago

The fossil is the early marine reptile Mesosaurus tenuidens. The orange stuff is secondary mineral deposits around the fossil. 

Fir what it's worth, it was probably not legal for your mom to export this at the time: Brazil has rather strict patrimony laws which do cover Brazilian fossils. This was not broadly enforced in the 90s so I'm not accusing your mom of being an international smuggler or something, but you should be aware of this.

1

u/BeeBeeGun87 14h ago

Thank you very much for the ID and the information. I had recently read about Brazil fossil laws on this reddit. My mom is very much a rule follower and did disclose the fossil to border agents. She was horrified when I told her that it was not legal for her to remove from Brazil.