While walking along a local creek in Birmingham, Alabama, Tristen Klavenga came across a rock by the side of the stream that appeared to be covered in scales.At first, Klavenga thought it might have been some sort of prehistoric palm or tree.”After further inspection and my friend’s thoughts, I wasn’t too doubtful that it could possibly be a fossilized imprint of fish scales,” Klavenga told Newsweek. “It looks pretty darn scaly.”
The fossil had large scales but did not seem to be a recognizable animal. Tristen Klavenga
“I’ve been to this spot hundreds of times but never noticed the fossil until then,” Klavenga told Newsweek. “With the rain we’ve had this season, I think it uncovered the mud and bedrock to expose the fossil.”Klavenga shared photos of the rock to the subreddit r/fossilid to hear what other users thought it could be. Several users identified the scaly stone as a Lepidodendron, an extinct type of tree (or more accurately tree-like plant) that thrived on Earth roughly 300 million years ago.
At this time, the Americas, Africa and Europe were all joined together in a single “super-continent” known as Pangea. As a result, Lepidodendron fossils can be found across these continents.
According to the National Park Service, Lepidodendron—also known as “Scale Trees”—grew to about 100 feet tall and 7 feet wide. The plants grew straight up as long unbranched trunks with a cluster of needle-like leaves at their growing tip. As they grew, the plants would shed the leaves from older parts of their stem, leaving these distinctive scale-like scars behind from where the leaves had once been.Many users on Reddit have congratulated Klavenga on this unusual find.
“This has excellently detailed preservation, a good find to enjoy,” said one user.”So cool! Had no idea such a thing existed,” said another.Klavenga, an experienced fossil hunter, said that they too were surprised by the shape and preservation of this particular scale tree.”I have seen these imprinted fossils dozens of times, but the degree to which this one was preserved, I have not,” they said. “I’ve been collecting fossils as a child and my fascination and intrigue never ceases to persist.
To think that you may be the first set of eyes to see this life since the Carboniferous period is pretty amazing.It’s awesome and humbling to be reminded of the wonders yet to be uncovered by acts of nature or by just simply looking down at your feet once and a while.”
