3D Non-Destructive Identification of Fossil Fish from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada using Synchrotron Micro Computed Tomography

Abstract

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada is focused on reconstructing the communities that existed at the end of the Cretaceous. This challenge is made more difficult because for many of the taxa present, few complete specimens are preserved. In most smaller animals, all that remains preserved are isolated elements such as jaws. Teleost fish are of particular interest because they are dominant in today's aquatic communities. They are thought to have diversified after the Cretacious-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event, but many questions about early freshwater members of this group remain. Even the number of species present remains a mystery. Through an ambitious SR-μCT study we are non-destructively digitally dissecting both isolated elements and articulated skeletons that remain embedded in their rock matrix. Through comparison studies we are identifying features to aid in their identification while preserving the original fossils in an unaltered state for future studies.