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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Sep 8

Hi. Thanks for sharing these photos. Unfortunately I cannot tell which element this could be. It has a very odd shape and I wonder if it might be part of a sea turtle. A Campanian tetrapod from Ukraine is surely an interesting find.

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Sep 6

I wrote a blog post about the giant Temnodontosaurus from Banz, Germany. The 2.3 m long skull is the first known specimen of its kind, and the original 1854 description includes life-sized illustrations of the fossil.
#paleontology #Germany #ichthyosaur #history
www.sachspal.de/giant-ichthy...

The giant Temnodontosaurus at Kloster Banz

The centrepiece of the museum Kloster Banz is the 2.3 m long skull of the giant ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus, which was the first fossil ot its kind.

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Sep 5

I just wrote a little article about Platypterygius hercynicus, one of the most complete Cretaceous ichthyosaurs that has an interesting history and is now on display at the Museum Schloss Salder in Salzgitter, Germany.
#fossilfriday #salzgitter #germany
www.sachspal.de/platypterygi...

Platypterygius hercynicus – One of the Most Complete Cretaceous Ichthyosaurs

Platypterygius hercynicus is one of the most complete ichthyosaurs known from the Cretaceous. The specimen was discovered in December 1940 in a mine called

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Sep 2

I wrote a blog post about a tentative megalosaurid vertebra from the Lower Jurassic of northern Germany, described by the late Friedrich von Huene.
www.sachspal.de/friedrich-vo...
#dinosaurs #jurassic #germany #fossil

Friedrich von Huene’s Megalosaurid Vertebra from the Lower Jurassic of Northern Germany

In the 1960s, renowned Tübingen-based palaeontologist Friedrich von Huene was given the opportunity to study an incomplete vertebra from the Lower Jurassic

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 31

I just wrote a blog post about Lindwurmia, the most complete plesiosaur known from the lowermost Jurassic of Germany.
www.sachspal.de/lindwurmia-t...
#paleontology #plesiosaur #jurassic #Germany

Lindwurmia thiuda – The Most Complete Plesiosaur from the Lowermost Jurassic of Germany – Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology Research

Modelled skull of Lindwurmia thiuda. The original part of the mandible is included in the mount.

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 28

I'm having a great time at the LWL-Museum für Naturkunde in Münster, where I'm studying the new of the plesiosaur Westphaliasaurus today.
#science #paleontology

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 27

I added a blog to my website and started with a little article on the AMNH Protoceratops specimens.
www.sachspal.de/protoceratop...
#dinosaurs @amnh.org

Protoceratops andrewsi at the American Museum of Natural History – Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology Research

In 2023, I had the opportunity to study plesiosaur material at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. While there, I took some time to

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 22

Some specimens of Protoceratops andrewsi, a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia, shown at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Photos taken during a visit in 2023.
#fossilfriday #dinosaur #dinosaurs #newyork #fossil #fossils #cretaceous #mongolia #nature #museum

Skeletons of two specimens of the ceratopsian dinosaur Protoceratops andrewsi at the American Museum of Natural History in New York

Skull of the ceratopsian dinosaur Protoceratops andrewsi, seen in lateral view, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York

Skulls of the ceratopsian dinosaur Protoceratops andrewsi, seen in anterolateral view, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 15

Marine reptiles from the Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Oxford Clay of Peterborough, England, on display at the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of Tübingen University in Germany.
#fossilfriday #fossil #plesiosaur #ichthyosaur #tuebingen #germany #fossils #jurassic #england

Liopleurodon skeleton. Oxford Clay. Tübingen

Plesiosaur skeletons. Oxford Clay. Tübingen

Ophthalmosaurus skeleton. Oxford Clay. Tübingen

Thalattosuchus skeleton. Oxford Clay. Tübingen

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 8

This photo shows the holotype specimen of Plesionectes at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart. 2/2

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 8

On Monday, my paper on Plesionectes longicollum, a new plesiosaur from Holzmaden, Germany, was published in PeerJ. It received some attention in the media, likely also because of the wonderful life reconstruction by Peter Nickolaus. 1/2
More information: www.sachspal.de/plesionectes...
#FossilFriday

Plesionectes longicollum, a new plesiosaur from Germany

Plesionectes longicollum is a new plesiosaur from the Posidonia Shale of Holzmaden, Germany, being characterised by its extremely long neck.

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 8

The skin of the ichthyosaur from Holzmaden, #Germany, was smooth, not bearing any scales or scutes. We found also remnants of internal organs and of blubber, an analogue to modern whales, which led to the conclusion that ichthyosaurs were warm-blooded.
#ichthyosaur #fossil #nature

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 8

I added a new page to my website. Its about an older study from 2018, led by Johan Lindgren, that was my 1st paper in Nature. We described an ichthyosaur that contained fossilised pigments and pigment cells, indicating the colour and countershading. 1/2 #FossilFriday
www.sachspal.de/ichthyosaur-...

Warm-blooded ichthyosaurs

Warm-blooded ichthyosaurs is a study I co-authored in Nature. We found remnants of colour pigments, blubber, blood & internal organs in a Holzmaden fossil.

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 1

A new page will be added on Monday, when our paper on a new plesiosaur genus and species from Germany is out.
2/2

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Aug 1

I'm happy to announce my new website.
Here, you'll find PDFs of my publications, an overview of my research, and an introduction to the new taxa I have established.
I will add new content over time. I hope you'll find it informative!
Little teaser: 1/2
www.sachspal.de
#FossilFriday #paleontology

Start – Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology Research

My name is Sven Sachs and this website introduces the research of me and my colleagues in the field of palaeoherpetology (a subfield of vertebrate

www.sachspal.de

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

Here’s a link to the publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
7/7

Adaptations for stealth in the wing-like flippers of a large ichthyosaur - Nature

Analysis of a fossilized front flipper of the Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus that preserves details of soft tissue indicates the presence of a serrated trailing edge that would have reduced noi...

www.nature.com

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

I'm grateful to the finder, Georg Göltz, for contacting me, allowing its description, and donating this significant specimen to the Palaeontological Museum in Nierstein. Thanks also to project leader Johan Lindgren, my co-author Dean Lomax, and to Joschua for the fantastic palaeoart! 6/7

Dean Lomax, Sven Sachs, and Johan Lindgren, examining the Temnodontosaurus flipper with serrated trailing edge

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

Temnodontosaurus had the largest eyes of any vertebrate known, which support the hypothesis that this aquatic reptile hunted under low-light conditions. 5/7

Temnodontosaurus skull at Kloster Banz, Germany

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

This, together with the flipper's wing-like shape and serrated edge, collectively indicates that this morphology helped the massive animal to minimize sound production during swimming. 4/7

Temnodontosaurus life reconstruction, showing a flipper with 'chondroderms, by Joschua Knüppe

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

Temnodontosaurus was the largest megapredator of the Lower Jurassic (more than 10 m long). The flipper lacks bones at the distal end, which show that the soft-tissue flipper was much longer than the bones indicate. 3/7

Temnodontosaurus flipper with soft-tissue preservation from Dotternhausen, Germany

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

The nearly 1m-long front flipper, found in 2009 by Georg Göltz in Dotternhausen, Germany, is Lower Jurassic in age. It preserves a serrated trailing edge with unique rod-like structures we've named 'chondroderms.' 2/7
#paleontology #biology #germany

Chondroderms in the Temnodontosaurus flipper

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 16

Big news! Our study, just out in Nature, is a game-changer for giant ichthyosaurs! We describe the first Temnodontosaurus flipper with fossilized soft tissue, giving us a unique look at how these massive creatures used stealth while hunting in darkness. 1/7
#science #news #scicomm

Temnodontosaurus skeleton, close-up of the soft-tissue, and flipper illustration with 'chondroderms'

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 10

Fantastic news!
I've just been informed that an important study I'm involved in is set to be published next Wednesday. This photo offers a hint at what it's about. I can't reveal more details, but our study will change the way we look at these marine animals.

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 6

Further reading: www.paleophilatelie.eu/description/...
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Paleophilatelie.eu - Russia 2020, Paleontologic Heritage

Detail description of stamp set Russia 2020 - Paleontologic Heritage

www.paleophilatelie.eu

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Sven Sachs @dinosven.bsky.social · Jul 6

The specimen has initially named Peloneustes irgisensis and then became a new genus, Strongylokrotaphus. It has later been referred to Pliosaurus and is currently considered to be an indeterminate thalassophonean. The fossils are now at the Palaeontological Institute (PIN) in Moscow. 3/4

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