Hunting for 95 million year oldHunting for 95 million year oldlizards and snakes on thelizards and snakes on theisland of Hvar, Croatia:island of Hvar, Croatia:

Dalmatian Coast & Adriatic SeaDalmatian Coast & Adriatic Sea

Michael Caldwell, Arjun Keswani, Jakov Radovcic, Katarina Michael Caldwell, Arjun Keswani, Jakov Radovcic, Katarina Krismanjic, Murray Gingras, Cajus Diedrich, Alex Dutchak, Krismanjic, Murray Gingras, Cajus Diedrich, Alex Dutchak,

Timon Bullard, Anne SchulpTimon Bullard, Anne Schulp

Funding:Funding:National Geographic, CRE Grant & NSERCNational Geographic, CRE Grant & NSERC

WE WENT LOOKING FORWE WENT LOOKING FORMORE OF THESE….MORE OF THESE….

Aigialosaurus dalmaticusAigialosaurus dalmaticus

Opetiosaurus bucchichiOpetiosaurus bucchichi

Pontosaurus lesinensisPontosaurus lesinensis

The Island of Hvar…The Island of Hvar…A difficult place to do A difficult place to do Fieldwork…haaaa!!Fieldwork…haaaa!!

C roatia

D ubrovnik

Split

S ibenik

Zadar

R ijekaKarlovac

Zagreb

G ospic

PulaKrk

KresRab

Pag

Brac

Lastovo

Korcula

Mijet

H ungary

S lovenia

BosniaH erzegovina

O sijek

100 km

Otok

Kornat

A d r i a t i c S e a

HvarVis

Starigrad

Jelsa

VrboskaSection 1

Section 2

Neolithicsite

Section 3

Rudine

Bay of Z

ukova

Bay of Starigrad

Bay of M

eslinic

a

Nicola’s quarry

Bay of Vrboska

4315,47

80 9284 88 96

5 km

84

88

1613,63

Tracksite

Hvar

A MapA Map

Close-upsClose-ups

The Island, looking northwestThe Island, looking northwest

Our village - VrboskaOur village - Vrboska

Fields of lavenderFields of lavender

Dr. Murray Gingras &Dr. Murray Gingras &Dr. Cajus Diedrich…on the rocksDr. Cajus Diedrich…on the rocks

Our quarry: Al LindoeOur quarry: Al Lindoe& Anne Schulp (from Maastricht)& Anne Schulp (from Maastricht)

Uvala Maslinica (Little Olive Bay)Uvala Maslinica (Little Olive Bay)

Vineyards, Stone Houses, and Vineyards, Stone Houses, and Rooves with fossils on the shingles…Rooves with fossils on the shingles…

……a new collecting technique?a new collecting technique?

AlgaeAlgae

……trace fossils of ancient shrimptrace fossils of ancient shrimp

Alex DutchakAlex Dutchak

Dr. DiedrichDr. Diedrich

Dr. Michael CaldwellDr. Michael Caldwell

Timon BullardTimon BullardDinosaur TrackwayDinosaur TrackwayUvala ZukovaUvala Zukova

Other FossilsOther Fossils

SNAIL

OYSTER

Some of the invertebratesSome of the invertebrates

Some of the FishesSome of the Fishes

New marineNew marinelizard…no snakeslizard…no snakes

Pontosaurus lesinensis - new specimenPontosaurus lesinensis - new specimen

The Ancient WorldThe Ancient Worldof Hvar: Upper Cretaceousof Hvar: Upper CretaceousShallow Marine LagoonsShallow Marine Lagoons

What did it really look likeWhat did it really look like95 million years ago?95 million years ago?

Open Ocean

Barrier Reef

Patch Reefs Lagoon

Coast

We find the fossil lizards, snakes, andWe find the fossil lizards, snakes, andFishes in the lagoon portions…Fishes in the lagoon portions…

Storm layer

Th in ly P la ty M udstones

Thaum atopore lla

M acroa lgae indet.

C hert bed

Teleoste i indet.

G astropoda indet.

Thalassino ides

Shallow, high saltShallow, high saltwater, withwater, withlow rates oflow rates ofrock formation,rock formation,made formade forplaty rocksplaty rockswith manywith manyfossils fossils

The Island, looking northwestThe Island, looking northwest