Dinosaurs under Chemnitz - new findings from the Petrified Forest
Lecture at the Museum of Natural History, 15 November, 6.30 pm
Next Wednesday, the scientist Dr Frederik Spindler will talk about the dinosaur-like animals and their place in the Chemnitz Petrified Forest from 6.30 pm at the Museum of Natural History Chemnitz (Tietz/Event Hall/3rd floor). Admission is free.
Long before the dinosaurs, Central Europe lay in the tropics. The early precursors of mammals, all still very similar to their reptilian relatives, thrived here. Some German archaeological sites are among the most important evidence of this period. The most spectacular fossils come from the Chemnitz Petrified Forest. As the oldest known climbers among the four-legged creatures, the finds prove that forests were also used as a vertical habitat at an early stage. The Chemnitz finds represent a way of life as tree climbers that was previously completely unexpected for prehistoric dinosaurs. While the treasures under Chemnitz have already attracted worldwide geological and, above all, botanical attention, dinosaur research can no longer ignore this 291-million-year-old forest.
Background:
The preparation of the five skeletons has been carried out since 2009 at the Schleusingen Natural History Museum by Georg Sommer under the scientific guidance of Dr Ralf Werneburg. The scientific processing and comparison with all known prehistoric dinosaurs from this period worldwide was carried out by a larger team of colleagues under the leadership of Dr Frederik Spindler. A new genus and a new species were proposed: Ascedonanus nestleri. The species name honours the Chemnitz entrepreneur Knut Nestler, who died in 2016 and was also chairman of the Friends of the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz e. V.