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Hyperostotic fish bones (“Tilly bones”) from presumably Pliocene phosphorites of the Lake Manyara area, northern Tanzania

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Kurzfassung

Aus den vermutlich im Pliozän gebildeten lakustrinen Phosphoriten des Lake Manyara, Tansania, werden tumorartig verdickte Fischknochen beschrieben, die auf Hyperostose zurückgeführt werden. Solche Bildungen (“Tilly Bones”) sind fossil bislang ausschließlich aus marinen Sedimenten bekannt geworden. Diese pathologischen Strukturen sind mit der extremen Wasserchemie des früheren Lake Manyara zu erklären und stellen wahrscheinlich eine Reaktion auf einen hohen Fluorgehalt dar.

Abstract

Hyperostotic fish bones from the presumable Pliocene phosphate-bearing deposits along Lake Manyara, Tanzania, are described. In contrast to marine occurrences of this kind, the pathological structures described herein are the first hyperostotic bones (“Tilly bones”) from a lacustrine paleoenvironment. The origin of the pathological alteration is probably related to extreme hydrochemical conditions of the former Lake Manyara, especially its high content of fluorine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Geology, Makerere University, P.O.Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

    Thomas Schlüter

  2. Institut für Paläontologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstraße 8, 1000, Berlin 33

    Rolf Kohring

  3. Forschungsstelle für Interdisziplinäre Paläontologie, Universität Erlangen, Harfenstraße 16, D-8520, Erlangen, Germany

    Johannes Mehl

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  1. Thomas Schlüter
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  2. Rolf Kohring
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  3. Johannes Mehl
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Schlüter, T., Kohring, R. & Mehl, J. Hyperostotic fish bones (“Tilly bones”) from presumably Pliocene phosphorites of the Lake Manyara area, northern Tanzania. Paläont. Z. 66, 129–136 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989483

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