Karoo Origins

Fascinating fossil evidence of ‘reptile’ species that lived 250 million years ago

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A superb collection of fossils from, in particular the private collection of the Burbridge family, many of which came from their farm near Graff Reinet. Karoo Origins showcases the geological history of the Karoo and its remarkable fossil story which includes the origin of dinosaurs, tortoises, crocodiles and most especially mammals.

In 1934 farmer Sidney Rubidge found a remarkably complete skull of a large flesh-eating therapsid mammal-like reptile, which was described as a new species, Dinogorgon rubidgei (derived from Greek, meaning “terrible gorgon”). For a decade during the 1930s and 1940s, searches resulted in the impressive Rubidge Karoo Fossil Collection that facilitated understanding of Permian and Triassic animals of southern Africa. An important feature of the collection is the very large number of holotype specimens. A holotype is the specimen found which resulted in a new species being described… there are 107 of them displayed here!

You will see a wide diversity of fossil ‘reptile’ species that lived between 260 – 250 million years ago and at that time, the most abundant land-living vertebrates were therapsid mammal-like reptiles, the most distant ancestors of mammals. These reptiles lived during the existence of the super continent, Gondwana, which included present-day Africa, South America, Madagascar, India, Antarctica and Australia before these areas pulled away. Karoo fossils are found on all these continents.

This is both an education centre and an active research centre, in a collaborative agreement with the University of the Witwatersrand, and run by Sidney’s grandson, respected palaeontologist, Professor Bruce Rubidge who formerly headed the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University for over 3 decades.

Rock outcrops north of Graaff-Reinet hold the best record on land of the greatest global mass extinction of all time. This occurred 252 million years ago, at the end of the Permian Period, and obliterated 90% of species. The displays at Karoo Origins help explain past extinctions and one can speculate on the outcomes of the current 6^th extinction.

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