Mesosaurus Fossil Site

Mesosaurus was a small aquatic reptile that lived around two hundred and eighty million years ago, and its fossils are found in only two places on Earth: southern Africa and eastern South America, which was one of the earliest pieces of evidence used to argue that the continents had once been joined. On this farm near Keetmanshoop the shale beds holding them are exposed at the surface, and the farmer guides visitors to the fossils, along with quiver tree stands and a field of split dolerite boulders.

The landscape

• The fossils - Mesosaurus skeletons exposed in shale beds at the surface.
• The continental drift evidence - a species found only here and in South America.
• The quiver trees - stands of the aloe across the farm.
• The dolerite field - split and stacked boulders forming a rock landscape.

When to go

March to October is the cooler window. Tours run at set times arranged with the farm. Summer heat on the open shale is severe.

What to expect

Access is only on a guided tour with the farmer and should be arranged in advance. The fossils are small and need pointing out. The gravel road in is rough.

Nearby

Keetmanshoop is southwest, and the Quiver Tree Forest is nearby.