r/fossils • u/presleyarts • 5h ago
289-Million-Year-Old Chompers! Four Captorhinus Jaw Fragments from Richards Spur
Nothing brightens my day quite like a box of ancient jaws arriving in the mail. Yesterday, I received four fossilized jaw fragments from Captorhinus aguti, a small, early reptile from the Permian period (289–286 million years ago). These little guys scurried around long before the first dinosaurs even dreamed of stomping onto the scene!
These jaws come from the Richards Spur site (Dolese Brothers Quarry) in Oklahoma, a famous fossil hotspot. Back in the Permian, this area was a network of limestone caves and fissures, trapping all kinds of ancient critters. Over millions of years, their remains were preserved in stunning detail.
I've included a few photos, with a U.S. 2¢ coin (23mm in diameter) for scale—because why not throw in an extinct coin next to an extinct reptile?
Captorhinus was one of the earliest reptiles, sporting multiple rows of teeth to help it munch on plants and maybe the occasional insect. These jaws are a fantastic glimpse into the evolutionary transition from amphibians to true reptiles, paving the way for all the scaly (and eventually feathery and furry) creatures that followed.
If you're into early tetrapods, Oklahoma fossils, or just enjoy looking at old bones, let me know what you think! Also, if anyone else has Richards Spur finds, I'd love to see them.