Heritage Cases

Gorgonopsians were the dominant carnivores of the late Permian (Lopingian) but reportedly became extinct at the Permian-Triassic (P-T) boundary, 252 million years ago. However, specimen NMQR389, a gorgonopsian skull housed at the National Museum of Bloemfontein, was reportedly found in Early Triassic aged strata. Such an anomalous occurrence could be a textbook-changing discovery as it would question the currently widely accepted fact that gorgonopsians became extinct during end-Permian extinction. Such a paradigm-shifting discovery, comparable to finding a Tyrannosaurus that survived the infamous K-Pg boundary, warrants scrutiny. To address whether NMQR389 is a genuine Triassic gorgonopsian or not, it is crucial to accurately know the locality where it came from. However, notes about the exact location where the specimen was found have been lost. The specimen is said to have come from a site known as Oranje, near Bethulie (Kitching, 1977), which unfortunately could correspond to two different farms located in the Free State: either Oranje, in the Philippolis District (coordinates: S30°20’32.6”, E25°29’32.3”), or Orangia, in the Bethulie District (part of Tweefontein 508) also identified after nearby farmhouses called Donovan, Tweefontein and a prominent koppie called Donovanskop; coordinates: S30°29’10.7”, E26°03’39.8”). The aim of this project is to perform some fieldwork on these farms and collect fossils in order to: 1- identify which of the two farms is the actual locality where NMQR389 was found. James Kitching provided a faunal list of the fossils he discovered in Oranje in his 1977 thesis, and as such, our working hypothesis is that the fossils we will find at the correct locality will match the faunal list provided by Kitching. 2- determine which assemblage zone(s) is/are represented on these farms. The Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone corresponds to the time interval that immediately followed the end-Permian extinction. As such, early Triassic fossils are expected to come from this assemblage zone. However, if the Daptocephalus Assemblage Zone, which is late Permian, is present at the locality where NMQR389 was found, it will not be possible to safely exclude that this specimen could be a regular, late Permian gorgonopsian. 3- collect rock samples for a rare earth elements analysis in order to compare the geochemistry of the rocks from these localities to that of NMQR389 rock matrix. The geochemical signature of the rock will support the identification of the locality. This analysis will be conducted later in 2022 or 2023, and is not the object of the current permit application. If the occurrence of an early Triassic gorgonopsian is supported, this would bolster the hypothesis of a protracted end-Permian extinction of Karoo faunas (Viglietti et al. 2021). If NMQR389 cannot be safely dated to the Triassic, this will enhance knowledge of Karoo biostratigraphy by removing an anomalous data point. Methods: The localities will be prospected by Dr. Benoit, Prof. Roger Smith and their team from the 23rd August 2022 to 2nd September 2022. All fossils discovered will be logged using GPS, photographed, and recording of geological, stratigraphic, and taphonomic details will be undertaken before excavation. Fossils are usually discovered on the surface but will be excavated where appropriate using handheld tools. Fragile fossils will be consolidated with Paraloid B72 glue and, for larger specimens, plaster of Paris. Fossil material will be transported back to the collections of the Evolutionary Studies Institute for safe storage. Fossils will be prepared by experienced preparators at the ESI fully equipped facility using tungsten-carbide-tipped air-scribes.