These are a Few of our Favorite Things

Welcome back to The Intern Report. This week, everyone is in good spirits and we are blazing through our targets. We are seeing the wide range of specimen in this fascinating collection, and we are appreciating the significance our work will have for future paleontological studies. The illustrious Dr. Royal Mapes has compiled a truly extensive collection, in which we have come across Triassic Treasures, Desmoinesian Delights, and Missourian Marvels, and although my alliteration abilities end here the Mapes Collection does not. Working on this collection has exposed us to fossils from a range of stages, and throughout the weeks we have adopted favorites in the collection, fossils that we like to believe would induce a pang of jealousy in any invertebrate paleontologist. 

I have compiled a list of specimen that exemplify the beauty of this collection. Readers, I give you this week’s Fantastic Fossils.

 A heteromorph ammonoid from the Cretaceous, collected in Japan

An ammonoid from the Virgilian stage, collected in Texas

A very pretty Permian ammonoid

Scaphites sp. from the Pierre Shale, South Dakota

Gaudryceras sp. from the Cretaceous, collected in Hokkaido

If you haven’t already, be sure to read last week’s post for details on the collection’s lagerstätte from the Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry, Oklahoma.

This week’s Wednesday adventure took us from the extinct to the extant, as we got the chance to visit the Invertebrate Zoology Department. The Department has a range of species, including butterflies, termites, spiders, and mollusks. We were given an up-close view of a giant squid, saw spectacular wasp nests, and were shown an array of pinned specimen.

The storage container for the giant squid (Architeuthis kirkii) is bigger than my apartment (featuring Ashley for scale)

Actually, the giant squid is bigger than my apartment

  *sings* We are Family (Belostomatidae)

Back in Mapes HQ we are continuing on our quest of cataloging and rehousing the specimen. Each day we are becoming more efficient and proficient, getting closer to our goal of cataloguing ‘em all. I will end this week’s post with a photograph of Spencer and the giant squid recreating a scene from ET.

Into the rabbit hole

Over the past few weeks you have seen a brief introduction to all of the interns, what we do, exciting visitors, and wonderful tours. Now, I think, it is time to jump into the rabbit hole, and see what the collection holds.

First, I should provide some background information about most of the fossils we work with. The Mapes collection holds primarily fossil cephalopods (ammonoids and nautiloids – the externally shelled ancestors of squids and octopi). These fossils can come in any size from microscopic (you will see this later) to extremely large (some can have external shell diameters of 8+ feet). Modern Nautilus, shown below, are thought to be the closest model for all of these extinct shelled organisms. 

Nautilus pompilius (left) and Allonautilus scrobiculatus (right) – modern representatives of an externally shelled cephalopod (image courtesy of University of Washington).

Nautiloids and ammonoids are revered for their shells and the patterns you can find on them. These patterns – called sutures – represent the contact point of dividing walls (septal walls – provide structural support for the shell, does have some other minor functions) inside the shell with the exterior shell body. These patterns cannot be seen on modern nautilus until the outer layers of the shell have been worn away. One of the coolest things about working with the Mapes collection is you can see the evolution of complex sutures through time.

 

Sutures started out in the “nautiloid” form which is the simplest pattern one can find on a shelled squid. Modern nautilus and its ancestor nautiloids have retained this simple pattern throughout time. Ammonoids, on the other hand, have not. They have developed an increasingly complex suture pattern through time right until they went extinct in the Cretaceous. From the “nautiloid” pattern, sutures developed first into a “goniatitic” form (looks like waves or subsequent chevron folds) during the mid-paleozoic. Then, the “ceratitic” forms developed in the later Paleozoic. Both the goniatitic and ceratitic forms coexisted in the later Paleozoic. Once you reach the Mesozoic, the suture patterns become their most extreme in the “ammonitic” form during the cretaceous. Below you can see a generalized schematic of each type with a corresponding picture taken from specimens in the Mapes collection. Keep in mind, these types are more of a continuum than a “four types fits all” scheme. Not every ammonoid will fall into one of these categories, and will sometimes fall somewhere in between.  

Generalized schematic of suture types with corresponding images of real specimens within the Mapes Collection.

 

The Mapes Collection can tell amazing stories, like the sutures above. You can also see the diversity in ammonoid shapes that have arisen through time.

 

One of the most uniquely shaped groups in the world of ammonites are the heteromorphs. These ammonites are not your typical spiral shape. Some have long extending hooks detached from the main shell (if you want an example of hooks on ammonite shells click here). Some don’t even resemble an ammonite at all. For example, one of the interns had this Cretaceous aged torticone (a turreted spiral shape) ammonite in one of their cabinets.

As you can see, the Mapes Collection holds a wide array of unique stories that aren’t just limited to cephalopods. The collection houses more than we thought possible. In the past week we have found cephalopods (by the ton in ammonoids, nautiloids, and some coleoids (modern squids with internalized shells), vertebrates, bivalves (clams), brachiopods (they are similar in appearance to clams but not even closely related), even some of the more mysterious groups like conularids (there is no way to describe them, no one knows where they belong, click here for more on conularids), and scaphopods (tusk-shells).

Our task, as described in an earlier post, is to “rehouse, conserve, and catalog” the Mapes Collection. This is easier said than done. As you have seen, the collection houses just about every type of organism imaginable from a vast array of locations. Over the past few weeks we have sorted by locality, changed trays, assigned catalog numbers, and digitally linked any associated information for more than 2,000 catalog numbers (keep in mind 1 catalog number can hold anywhere from 1 specimen to upwards of 500 depending on the tray). We are aimed to pass the half way mark this week to meet our goal of 5,000 lot numbers (I think this totals about 27 cabinets).

You have seen some of the wonders this collection can hold. However, for each wonder there are a host of surprises and problems that can arise in our line of work. This week we were introduced to new methods of cataloging as we encountered unexpected microscope slides hosting ammonitella (embryonic stage ammonoids – more commonly known among the interns as tiny baby ammonites).

Microscope slide hosting numerous ammonitella.

There have also been severe cases of pyrite disease. Pyrite disease is where the mineral pyrite (FeS2), or potentially similar minerals, form within the bone, shell, or other material of the fossil. If incorporated, pyrite can oxidize (FeSO4 – Iron sulfate). Iron sulfate is much larger in volume than the original material and during crystal growth can cause the specimen to fracture. This is especially common in more humid conditions. The end result is what appears to be a large pile of cigarette ash with no specimen to be found. Shown below is a picture of a pyrite diseased specimen found in one of our cabinets.

 

However, pyrite does have its redeeming qualities. All of the problems and unexpected surprises within the collections become worth the effort when you find a true gem like the one below. This is a pyritized ammonoid. Pyritization is not the same as pyrite disease. Pyrite has replaced the original shell material and does not oxidize. This specimen also depicts some beautiful goniatitic sutures.   

Unusual localities have been a reoccurring theme this week. For example, one of the interns ran across a lagerstätte. For those of you who don’t know, a lagerstätte (lagerstätten – plural) is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits fossils with truly extraordinary preservation. This preservation can include soft tissues and other fragile pieces of anatomy. Below are some pictures of preserved original orthoconic nautiloid shell material from the Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry deposit. This material is impregnated with hydrocarbons (oil) preventing the destruction of the original aragonitic shell material. For some context, finding a lagerstätte is equivalent to finding a diamond in the rough. They are very rare, and those that do exist provide us with a fortune in scientific insights into what some of these organisms actually looked like with all preserved soft parts (not typically found in your everyday fossil bed), behaved, and where they lived.

 

Orthoconic (straight) nautiloid with original shell material from the Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry.

Granted, all this work isn’t without the typical mid-week break. This week we went on a tour of the herpetology departmental collections. Let me tell you, some weird things are housed there. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves here rather than provide narration. Well…maybe some so you know what you are looking at.  

Talk about an unusual find…an approximately 4,000-year-old gecko. This gecko was found during an archaeology dig in Egypt. It was thought to be an accident as animals were not usually buried within the mummy wrappings. Though animals were typically buried with the mummies within the tombs. 

Your typical crocodile hide with skull.

Your typical crocodile hide with skull.

Did I forget to mention they have Komodo Dragons?

Don’t forget the live animals too J. These tortoises seemed content basking in the light of their heat lamp.

Sorry, I forgot what kind of snake this was…

Oh, and have you ever seen a rattlesnake penis?

Now you have.

As I have no real sign off ideas, I will leave you with one last image that I believe summarizes our goal for this collection. Be forewarned, it may not be what you expect. 

Dr. Royal Mapes visits AMNH

It's not every day that you get to meet a person who has a natural history collection named after them but this week we got to meet and work with Dr. Royal Mapes.

We began the week by listening to a talk that Dr. Mapes gave on his 50+ years of collecting. He told us stories about collecting the specimens starting with his initial travels to various collecting sites all the way through to how he had to pack up about 600 drawers to send to AMNH. It was nice to hear his stories from the sites, now they seem like so much more than just the names of places we put into the database.



After the talk we wasted no time and started asking Dr. Mapes all the questions we had. He was truly like a fossil whisperer. He was able to answer our questions within seconds whether it be a question about a location or a need for species clarification.



We took a break from the ammonites and questions on Wednesday and took a tour of Anthropology with John Hansen. He explained that the Anthropology Department is still very much a Victorian museum, both the collections themselves and how the building itself is set up. Then he showed us elaborate woven baskets, some even had feathers incorporated into them. And he showed us an exceptionally tiny woven basket that had to be housed in a vial. We also saw some fascinating artifacts from California, China, and Siberia.




Later in the week Dr. Mapes spoke to us about what he thinks his collection will mean for the future. Having it here at AMNH allows his collection to be available to people for many years to come. It is a huge source of reference material, a fossil library if you will, of Paleozoic cephalopods and once it is organized people will come and find answers and generate new questions. And with technology always advancing, we don't even know what information is locked away in this collection just waiting to be found. These specimens are a treasure trove full of potential for current and future researchers and it was a great opportunity to meet with the man behind it all. Thank you Dr. Mapes!

Gotta catalog 'em all!

This week our behind-the-scenes tour brought us to exhibitions where Dina Langis showed us the scale model used to design the Dinosaurs Among Us exhibit currently on display at the museum, and gave us a sneak peek of the upcoming Cuba exhibit. We saw people making very realistic models for the exhibit, and it was interesting to learn about the months of preparation spent designing an exhibit for visitors, including the planning and then creation all the structures, models, and art. It definitely looks like it will be a spectacular exhibit so we'll be sure to come back in the fall when it opens!

Walking through the exhibition department.

The scale model for the Dinosaurs Among Us special exhibit.

Back in the basement, we've been steadily making progress on the Mapes collection. Our work requires us to rehouse (1/3 of) the over 500,000 specimens, most of which appear to be ammonites, by transferring them to new trays, and then to catalog them by assigning catalog numbers and adhering labels to the fossils. Lastly, we enter all this information into a massive database for a researcher to use should they want to look at particular fossils (thank goodness for control+F). So far we've cataloged ammonites from Nevada, Texas, and Oklahoma from the Triassic and Carboniferous periods.

So so many fossils.

It hasn't been completely smooth sailing, however. We've had to make several adjustments to the data we record as we continue to figure out what procedures work best and how to be most efficient with our time. Next week, Royal Mapes himself will be at the museum to assist us and answer any questions we have about his collection.

Everyone hard at work rehousing and cataloging the fossils! I promise they didn't pose for this.

Until next time!

The Interns Have Landed

On Monday, June 27th, we (the six invertebrate paleontology interns) began working on the Mapes Collection. We're the first set of interns to work on the collection under the IMLS grant, so we're definitely figuring things out as we go - which makes it all the more interesting!

On Wednesday, we started off with a taxonomy lecture given by Dr. Melanie Hopkins. We discussed some of the finer points of the subject, as well as taxonomy as it applies to museum collections . Later in the day, we took a tour of ichthyology with Radford Arrindell, one of the senior scientific assistants. He showed us a prep room and took us around storage so we could experience other collections besides invert paleo. It was an interesting day, and a nice change of scenery from the Mapes Collection room.

Nick models a clear and stained specimen in the ichthyology prep room.

Ashley and Spencer are very excited about fish.

A specimen after it has been cleaned by dermestid beetles.

Radford shows us ichthyology collections.

Anyway, an introduction is due for the interns. We are:

Nick Hugo is a Minnesotan who just graduated with bachelor's degrees in geology and biology from North Dakota State University. He likes cephalopods. A lot. Probably too much.

Spencer Irvine is a 2016 graduate of Williams College with a geoscience bachelor's degree. He is from New Jersey and has the best index fingers of the group.

Sara Ketelsen graduated with a B.A. in biology from Gettysburg College in 2014. She is from the mysterious "Central Jersey," which no one is sure actually exists.

Kate Purcell received her master's in wildlife conservation from University College Dublin this year.

Ashley Ratigan graduated from Oberlin College in May with degrees in geology and archaeology. She is the entire population of Rhode Island.

Kat Turk is from Virginia and graduated last month with a B.S. in geology from the College of William and Mary. She might or might not have written this blog.