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When I saw a fish hypural for the first time, I didn't think it was real. But, now, these obscure bones are better known. Who here has a fish hypural to show us? Here's one: "The bony structure (often fan-shaped) that chiefly is composed of the expanded, flattened and partially fused hemal spines (ventral extensions of the vertebrae), and that supports the caudal-fin rays in most bony fishes; when counting vertebrae, this composite element is treated as a single vertebra and included in the count. Amia has 10 hypurals, Salmo 7 but in most teleosts the number is reduced or fused into a single structure, a urostyle."

The niobrara chalk is the best, But what are the ten best creatures from it.

Good evening folks. I just received a fish fossil from the Cretaceous period of Madagascar that is just listed as a "bony fish". Can anyone put a name to it?

A number of Eocene bony fish specimens from Virginia that I collected and donated to the Smithsonian are described in an article by Dr. Robert E. Weems “ADDITIONS TO THE BONY FISH FAUNA FROM THE EARLY EOCENE NANJEMOY FORMATION OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA (U.S.A)” published in The Mosasaur Volume XI June 2020. I collected and donated the following specimens shown in the below figures: 4D thru 4F: 5A, 5C, 5D, 5E: 6A, 6B, 6G, 6H : 7B: 8A, 8B: Marco Sr.

Hello! Help with ID please if possible. Scale in mm (cm). Western Ukraine, Miocene.

Hi, everyone, it's been a minute -- I hope y'all are well and that you and your families are healthy and safe. I'm required to say "y'all" since we moved to New Orleans last summer. Fantastic city, great people, but I won't be peeking in the Chesapeake or anyplace else on the East Coast again any time soon. Then, *this* all happened. During this lockdown, it occurred to me that I could finally get around to trying to identify some of the material I've had sitting in boxes for years (and I'll post a few others). But what do I find when I log onto the FF after ages? A positive gaggle of Mazon ID posts. Love it! I collected this little fish in 2010 from the South Unit at Mazonia-Braidwood. He measures a whopping 13mm from nose to tail. I've been poking around on the web but I'm having a hard time with the ID. It looks like he has two spiky fins sticking up from just behind his head (they're clearest in the last photo). My brain itches with knowing that I've seen this guy someplace before, but I just can't find him again. Thoughts? Thanks...y'all.

Hello Everyone, I had the honor of being invited by @markmg to a trip down into essentially ... a big hole in the ground. Woo Hoo !! A rather large gravel/sand pit that is being mined to 50-60ft ? We were not quite sure but hopefully at least as deep as the dredging that happens on the river. You know .. a play date ! .. haha Well, having just rained out my river trip on Friday I came prepared to slog through some mud. Let's just say it was lucky we didn't have a The Princess Bride (1987) moment because the water made the sand and mud a bit soft in some spots. The open pit has to be constantly pumped out or it would fill up with water and you'd have a nice deep pond ... not so good for a gravel business. Mark had been down in the pit on several occasions and asked that I join him and see if I couldn't help him find anything ... Mark was being brutally teased having previously come out and found - ON THE RAMP- a partial meg tooth. Well, we didn't find any mega-sharks down in the pit, but after exploring for about 90 minutes, the first small hints of the phosphate pebbles we were looking for started showing up. They were washing out of a layer sitting just above an impermeable formation of red compacted clay with shell impressions. Unfortunately the preservation was poor. And very crumbly .. I'm assuming these first finds had been sitting out too long and they were returning to the ground. They were encrusted with precipitated minerals and were delicate. The first hints that maaaaaybe this wasn't a dry hole ?? Some of the encrusted bone that didn't crumble to dust ....

I have a pretty extensive collection of shark, ray, fish and other micros from sites all over the US, Europe, North Africa and Australia. You can see a very small part of my collection in my TFF posts at the below links. As I add new posts to TFF I'll update this list. I want to thank Earl M. for organizing my micro posts as shown below, which is a much more useful listing than in my original post: Paleozoic Silurian E. m. Silurian (Wenlockian) - Rochester Sh. – Niagara Co., New York http://www.thefossil.../?hl=+new +york Devonian E. m. Devonian (Eifelian) – Columbus Lmst. – Columbus, Franklin Co., C. Ohio (see Martin, 2002) http://www.thefossil...ork#entry441978 (placoid scales, bony fish teeth) Lt. m. Devonian (Givetian) – Darien bed, Wanakah Sh., Ludlowville Fm., Hamilton Grp. – Bethany, Genesee Co., NW New York http://www.thefossil.../?hl=+new +york E. lt. Devonian (Frasnian) – North Evans Lmst. Mbr., Genesee Fm. – Hamburg, Erie Co., New York http://www.thefossil.../?hl=+new +york Mesozoic Jurassic M. m. Jurassic (Bathonian) – Great Oolite lmst. – England, U.K. http://www.thefossil...united-kingdom/ (incl. Acrodus) E. lt. Jurassic (Oxfordian) - Kellaways Clay, lw. Oxford Clay – Peterborough, England, U.K. http://www.thefossil...o +sr +jurassic (onychites, bony fish teeth) http://www.thefossil...art-2/?p=489587 (Protospinax, serpulid worm tubes, etc.) http://www.thefossil...kingdom-part-3/ (more onychites, belemnites, serpulid worm tubes, Protospinax, Omatoscyllium) Cretaceous Early Cretaceous Lt. E. (“m.”) Cret. (Albian) – Kiowa Sh. Fm., m. Dakota Grp. – Kansas http://www.thefossil...ros#entry433986 (incl. Onchopristis dunklei) Late Cretaceous Lt. m. Cenomanian – Graneros Sh. Fm., basal Colorado Grp. – Kansas http://www.thefossil...ansas/?p=507345 E. lt. Cenomanian – basal Lincoln Lmst. Mbr., basal Greenhorn Fm., lower Colorado Grp. (transgressive lag) – Kansas http://www.thefossil...os-from-kansas/ http://www.thefossil...ansas/?p=507330 (Squalicorax falcatus; Onchopristis dunklei, Ptychodus decurrens, Rhinobatos; Enchodus petrosus) Lt. m. Turonian – Blue Hill Sh. Mbr., m. Carlile Sh. Fm., m. Colorado Grp. (regressive) – Kansas (see Everhart et al., 2003) http://www.thefossil...os-from-kansas/ (Chiloscyllium greeni, Scapanorhynchus r. raphiodon, Squalicorax falcatus; Ptychotrygon spp., Ischyrhiza m. schneideri, common Rhinobatos incertus) http://www.thefossil...ros#entry437979 E. lt. Turonian – Codell Ss. Mbr., upper Carlile Sh. Fm., m. Colorado Grp. - Kansas http://www.thefossil...os-from-kansas/ (Hybodus, Scapanorhynchus r. raphiodon; Ptychotrygon, Rhinobatos) E. lt. Turonian – Turner Sandy Mbr., m. Codell Ss. Mbr., upper Carlile Fm., m. Colorado Grp. – Grant Co., NE South Dakota (see Stewart & Martin, 1993; Jorgensen and Larson, 1996; Lewis, 1999; & Lewis et al., 2000) http://www.thefossil...o-south-dakota/ (Ptychotrygon, Ischyrhiza, Brachyrhizodus mcnultyi) http://www.thefossil...-dakota-part-2/ (Squalicorax falcatus, Rhinobatos, Enchodus) Latest Turonian (not e. Coniacian) – basal Atco Fm. (transgressive lag), basal Austin Grp. – TXI Q., Midlothian, Johnson Co., NE Texas (mostly a shallow-water fauna, except for the Ptychodus and Pseudocorax) (see Meyer, 1974; Welton & Farish, 1993) http://www.thefossil...ros#entry417293 (Scapanorhynchus raphiodon, Onchopristis dunklei, Paralbula, Ptychotrygon) http://www.thefossil...i-quarry-texas/ (Scapanorhynchus r. raphiodon, Squalicorax falcatus, Onchopristis dunklei, Ptychotrygon triangularis, Ischyrhiza m. schneideri, Hadrodus priscus, Paralbula) Santonian – Hosta Tongue, Pt. Lookout Ss. – C. New Mexico (see Bourdon et al., 2011) http://www.thefossil...rom-new-mexico/ (Hybodus, Squatina/Cedarstroemia/Columbusia, Cantioscyllium descipiens; Ptychotrygon, Ischyrhiza, Rhinobatos, Brachyrhizodus mcnulti, Ptychodus mortoni, assorted ray dermal denticles; Enchodus petrosus; juv. croc tooth crown) Early Campanian – Menefee Fm., m. Mesa Verde Grp. – eastern San Juan Basin, Rio Arriba Co., NW New Mexico http://www.thefossil...-of-new-mexico/ E. m. Campanian – basal Ozan Fm., basal Taylor Grp. – North Sulphur River?, Fannin Co., Texas (see McKinzie et al., 2001) http://www.thefossil...ation-of-texas/ (Chiloscyllium greeni, Scyliorhinus, Odontaspis aculeatus, Carcharias holmdeli, Pseudocorax laevis, Squalicorax kaupi – mostly deep-water sharks) http://www.thefossil...ation-of-texas/ (Ptychotrygon, Sclerorhynchus, Ischyrhiza; Rhinobatos) http://www.thefossil...ation-of-texas/ (Hadrodus priscus branchials, Anomoeodus phaseolus prearticular (lw. toothplate) teeth, Enchodus petrosus dentary fangs, sm. dercetid scales, misl. bony fish teeth) Campanian – hard chalk, Fm.? – Hallencourt, France http://www.thefossil...ros#entry411927 (partial squid beak, centrodorsal ossicles of free-swimming comatulid crinoids, calcified chitin lobster claw knobs; Chiloscyllium, Squatirina kannensis, Anomotodon, Galeorhinus girardoti [usus. Maastr.], Paraorthacodus conicus, etc.) Lt. Campanian – Kirtland & Fruitland fms. (estuarine/fluviatile) – New Mexico http://www.thefossil...-of-new-mexico/ (with Myledaphus bipartitus, Protoplatyrhina renae, gar & croc) Lt. Maastrichtian – Escondido Fm. – south Texas (see Case & Cappetta, 1997) http://www.thefossil...ation-of-texas/ Cretaceous, Maastrichtian,Tchivoula Quarry, near Hinda, Congo http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/80695-micro-shark-ray-and-bony-fish-specimens-from-the-miocene-of-france-and-cretaceous-of-the-congo/ Cenozoic Paleocene Lt. Paleocene (Thanetian) – zone 4, Aquia Fm.– Maryland and Virginia (see Ward & Wiest, 1990) http://www.thefossil...on-of-maryland/ http://www.thefossil...on-of-virginia/ Eocene Eocene - Orangeburg Formation - LaFarge Quarry - Harleyville, South Carolina http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/82895-micro-shark-ray-and-fish-teeth-from-the-eocene-of-south-carolina/ E. Eocene (Ypresian) – Nanjemoy Fm. – Stafford Co., Virginia (see Ward & Wiest, 1990; Weems & Grimsley, 1999) http://www.thefossil...ginia/?p=510087 L. Eocene - Chadron Formation - White River Group - Sioux County Nebraska (terrestrial) http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/66750-terrestrial-micros-from-the-eocene-chadron-formationoligocene-brule-formation-white-river-group-sioux-county-nebraska/#entry699681 Oligocene E. Oligocene? (Rupelian?) (incl. Hemipristis curvatus & Isogomphodon frequens) – in coarse gravel – Alafia River bed, Florida http://www.thefossil...ver-in-florida/ Oligocene - Brule Member of the White River Group - Sioux County, Nebraska http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/59218-oligocene-terrestrial-micros-from-nebraska/ http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/66138-oligocene-micros-from-the-m-m-ranch-in-nebraska/ Miocene E. Miocene – Coosawhatchee Fm., Hawthorn Grp. – Gainesville, Alachua Co., N. peninsular Florida http://www.thefossil...sville-florida/ http://www.thefossil...art-3/?p=482047 M. Miocene – Round Mtn. Silt Fm. – Sharktooth Hill site, Ernst Ranch, near Bakersfield, Kern Co., SC California http://www.thefossil...eld-california/ Miocene – zone 16, Choptank Fm. – Virginia http://www.thefossil...ros#entry427430 (sharks, rays, Lagodon, Pogonias) http://www.thefossil...ros#entry433798 (a var. of rays, bony fish otoliths) http://www.thefossil...ros#entry460266 Miocene, Langhian Age, lower "dark" horizon, Loupian Quarry, France http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/80695-micro-shark-ray-and-bony-fish-specimens-from-the-miocene-of-france-and-cretaceous-of-the-congo/ M. Miocene? – Pungo R. Fm.? – Lee Crk. (phosphate) Mine, N. of Aurora, Beaufort Co., CE. North Carolina (see Purdy et al., 2001) http://www.thefossil...from-aurora-nc/ (Alopias, Rhincodon, Dasyatis, Raja, Paramobula, etc.) http://www.thefossil...-window-screen/ http://www.thefossil...ros#entry453842 Lt. Miocene?– upper Bone Valley Fm.?, in coarse gravel – Alafia River bed, Florida http://www.thefossil...ver-in-florida/ (incl. Dasyatis and Rhynchobatus teeth) Lt. Miocene? – upper Bone Valley Fm.? – Joshua Crk. bed coarse gravel, Florida http://www.thefossil...orida/?p=477293 Lt. Miocene – upper Bone Valley Fm. – phosphate mine, Polk Co., C. peninsular Florida http://www.thefossil...ine-in-florida/ Lt. Miocene? – upper Bone Valley Fm.? – Peace River bed gravel, nr. Rt. 17 bridge, nr. Zolfo Sprs., Hardee Co., C. peninsular Florida http://www.thefossil...ver-of-florida/ http://www.thefossil...florida-part-2/ http://www.thefossil...eek-in-florida/ (with Isistius teeth) Pleistocene Pleistocene - Melbourne Bone Bed - Merritt Island, Florida http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/58306-pleistocene-micros-from-merritt-island-florida/?p=620548 References Bourdon, J., K. Wright, S. G. Lucas, J. A. Spielmann, and R. Pence, 2011. Selachians from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Hosta Tongue of the Point Lookout Sandstone, central New Mexico. Bull., New Mexico Mus. Nat. Hist. & Sci., no. 52, iv + 54 p., 28 figs. Case, G. R., and H. Cappetta, 1997. A new selachian fauna from the late Maastrichtian of Texas (Upper Cretaceous/Navarroan; Kemp Formation). Munchner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlung, Reihe A, vol. 34, pp. 131-189, 15 pl. Duffin, C. J., 2001. Synopsis of the selachian genus Lissodus Brough, 1935. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologische und Paleontologische Abhandlungen, vol. 221, no. 2, pp. 145-218. Everhart, M., P. Everhart, E. M. Manning, and D. E. Hattin, 2003. A middle Turonian marine fish fauna from the upper Blue Hill Shale Member, Carlile Shale, of north central Kansas (abstract). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 23, supplement to no. 3, p. 49A. Goody, P. C., 1976. Enchodus (Teleostei: Enchodontidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale of Wyoming and South Dakota, with an evaluation of the North American enchodontid species. Palaeontographica, Abteilung A, vol. 152, no. 4-6, pp. 91-112, 3 pl. Jorgensen, S. D., and N. L. Larson, 1996. The Carlile Shale of the Milbank Granite District, Grant County, South Dakota; with regional correlations based on ammonite and shark faunas (abstract). Geological Society of America, Rocky Mountain Section, Abstracts with Programs, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 12-13. Kelly, S. R. A., and R. G. Bromley, 1984. Ichnological nomenclature of clavate borings. Paleontology, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 793-807. Lewis, S. E., 1999. Selachians from the Carlile Formation (Cretaceous-Turonian) of Grant County, South Dakota. St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota), Occasional Papers in Paleobiology, vol. 9, no. 1, 27 p. Lewis, S. E., T. J. Kunkel, S. M. Matrious, and T. T. Behnke, 2000. Invertebrate and vertebrate fauna from the Carlile Formation (Cretaceous-Turonian) of Grant County, South Dakota. St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota), Occasional Papers in Paleobiology, vol. 10, no. 1, 39 p. Martin, R. L., 2002. Taxonomic revision and paleoecology of middle Devonian (Eifelian) fishes of the Onondaga, Columbus, and Delaware limestones of the eastern United States. McKinzie, M. G., R. Morin, and E. Swiatovy, 2001. Fossil collector's guide to the North Sulphur River. Dallas Paleontological Society, Occasional Papers, vol. 4, 119 p., 20 pl. McNulty, C. L., Jr., and B. H. Slaughter, 1972. The Cretaceous selachian genus Ptychotrygon Jaekel, 1894. Eclogae Geologie Helvetiae, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 647-655, 1 pl. Meyer, R. L., 1974. Late Cretaceous elasmobranchs from the Mississippi and East Texas embayments of the Gulf Coastal Plain. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, xiv + 419 p. Purdy, R. W., V. P. Schneider, S. P. Applegate, J. H. McLellan, R. L. Meyer, and B. H. Slaughter, 2001. The Neogene sharks, rays, and bony fishes from Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, North Carolina. In C. E. Ray and D. J. Bohaska, eds., Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleontology, no. 90, p. 71-202. Rees, J., and C. J. Underwood, 2002. The status of the shark genus Lissodus Brough, 1935, and the position of nominal Lissodus species within the Hybodontoidea (Selachii). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 471-479. Schwimmer, D. R., J. D. Stewart, and G. D. Williams, 1997. Scavenging by sharks of the genus Squalicorax in the Late Cretaceous of North America. Palaios, vol. 12, pp. 71-83. Slaughter, B. H., and M. Steiner, 1968. Notes on the rostral teeth of ganopristine sawfishes, with special reference to Texas material. Journal of Paleontology, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 233-239. Stewart, J. D., and J. E. Martin, 1993. Late Cretaceous selachians and associated marine vertebrates from the Dakota Rose granite quarry, Grant County, South Dakota. South Dakota Academy of Science, Proceedings, vol. 72, pp. 241-248, 1 pl. Ward, D. J., and R. L. Wiest, 1990. A checklist of Paleocene and Eocene sharks and rays (Chondrichthyes) from the Pamunkey Group, Maryland and Virginia, U.S.A.. Tertiary Research (Leiden, Holland), vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 81-88. Weems, R. E., and Grimsley, G. J. (eds.), 1999. Early Eocene vertebrates and plants from the Fisher/Sullivan site (Nanjemoy Formation), Safford County, Virginia. Virginia Div. of Min. Res., Publication 152, 159 p. Welton, B. J., and R. F. Farish, 1993. The collector’s guide to fossil sharks and rays from the Cretaceous of Texas. Horton Printing Co., Dallas, xviii + 204 p. Marco Sr.

Hi everyone, I was wondering how one would distinguish the armor skull plates of a gar with some of the osteoderms found on sturgeon. I have definitely found the former but cannot be certain if I've found the prior. From looking at some pictures online I see similarity between the two and wondered if I had any in my collection and if I could properly identify a fossil as sturgeon as opposed to gar.