Lesson plan
Thinopus
Thinopus is the name given to a trace fossil (ichnotaxon) found in late Devonian rocks in Pennsylvania. The only specimen was described by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in a brief note published in 1896, with the only ichnospecies Thinopus antiquus. Marsh interpreted it as the fossil footprints of an early amphibian, making it the oldest evidence for tetrapods (land vertebrates) known at the time. Later research, however, argued that the fossil is better interpreted as the impressions of coprolites (fossilized feces) of fish. This would make Thinopus the earliest published name of a fish coprolite.
Article summary
Thinopus is the name given to a trace fossil (ichnotaxon) found in late Devonian rocks in Pennsylvania. The only specimen was described by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in a brief note published in 1896, with the only ichnospecies Thinopus antiquus. Marsh interpreted it as the fossil footprints of an early amphibian, making it the oldest evidence for tetrapods (land vertebrates) known at the time. Later research, however, argued that the fossil is better interpreted as the impressions of coprolites (fossilized feces) of fish. This would make Thinopus the earliest published name of a fish coprolite.
Key claims
- publication date: 1896 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- The record states that the publication date is "1896". What evidence would count against this claim?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1208675910
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.