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  1. Fossildude19

    Unidentified Bryozoan

    From the album: Fossildude's Lower Devonian Fossils

    Lower Devonian Glenerie Limestone, Tristates Group, Route 9W Glenerie, N.Y.

    © 2023 T.Jones

  2. Two factors were at work here. 1) This is just about the most complete specimen of Isorthoceras sociale that I've ever found. 2) I've been doing some research on contemporary squid chromatophores and photophores. So, I was pre-disposed to think I'd discovered some remarkable soft tissue preservation and was all set to announce the evidence of chromatophores in the Ordovician. And then I learned about bryozoan encrustation. Still pretty cool, though.
  3. Sometimes it could be accurately said a fossil hunting trips most intriguing finds are discovered after bringing the fossils home. That's exactly what happened after my Sunday/August/19/2023 trip with @Tales From the Shale at some Late Pennsylvanian rock formations in Illinois. Lots of brachiopod, bryozoan, and pretty awesome Chondricthyan teeth were found on this trip. But it was at home that I accidentally uncovered a pretty remarkable find I would like help getting a Proper ID for. On Wednesday around 10:00PM EST, I decided to break open with a pretty large hammer some of the large rocks I collected to get rid of excess materials around the fossils. When I got to a brachiopod encrusted rock, I decided to split it down the middle to avoid damaging the top. As a precaution (which I'm super grateful now I still do) I always check the fragments with a flashlight to see if I missed something. This time, I checked extra hard and discovered a very fragmentary cladodont tooth tip!!! I was glad I found it, but kinda kicking myself knowing I may have accidentally smashed to bits the rest of the tooth (the tooth was not even remotely visible on the rock's surface and was hidden in the middle of the rock itself). Fortunately, I searched the surrounding fragments and found the rest of the tooth! I looked at and measured the cladodont tooth fragments more the next morning!! The tooth specimen is definitely from a pretty large Ctenacanthiform Shark! I think (based on the number of lateral cusps) it could be from a large Gilkmanius, but I'm not 100% sure!! What do you guys think? @connorp @deutscheben @Tales From the Shale What do you think?
  4. On Sunday/August/19/2023, myself and @Tales From the Shale went fossil hunting at some Late Pennsylvanian rock formations in Illinois! It was a pretty productive trip! We found lots of brachiopod fossils and an awesome amount of Chondrichthyian fossils! There are some fossils though that I'm a bit confused on their exact ID and I would like help identifying them? I put and photographed some of these specimens under a microscope and dissecting scope to help with species/genera identification. Here are the various and pretty awesome specimens from the trip I would like help Identifying: Unknown Specimen 1 (A Posible and partial Ctenacanthiform tooth) Unknown Specimen 2 (A Peripristis tooth but not 100% sure of exact species ID) Unknown specimen 3 (I think either Deltodus or another type of Petalodontid) Unknown specimen 4 (@Tales From the Shale helped me identify it as a bryozoan, but I forgot what type/genera he said it was (though he said it was pretty rare), I found at least 2 specimens of this type on this trip) Unknown Specimen 5 (Found on the same piece of matrix rock as Unknown Specimen 4, I'm not 100% sure what it is) Unknown Specimen 6 (some other type of bryozoan, I have no idea what could be it's exact ID) Unknown Specimen 7 (Found on the same piece of matrix rock as Unknown Specimen 6, some other type of bryozoan but I have no idea what could be it's exact ID) Unknown Specimen 8 (some other type of bryozoan, I have no idea what could be it's exact ID) Unknown Specimen 9 (A Possible small Petalodus tooth) Unknown Specimen 10 (A Possible small Deltodus tooth)
  5. Family and I took a trip to Beltzville State Park earlier this week. We stayed around the lake, looking along the shoreline and wading through water. Found some pretty cool Middle Devonian fossils. My wife lucked out with two Trilobite pieces, one of which is a really nice head imprint. I'm still working on identification, so please bare with me. Any help of course is appreciated. Coin is 22mm Shoreline Trilobite head (Phacops rana?) surrounded by Crinoid stems Trilobite (Phacops rana?) - lower abdomen Crinoid stems Crinoid stems Pleurodictyum tabulate coral (?) and brachiopod Crinoid stems Brachiopods and I'm not sure what the orange/black dotted impression is.
  6. Joseph Fossil

    Oglesby Unknowns from 7/16/2023

    Here are some more specimens which I quite frankly am scratching my head as to their identify! I'm also wondering if anyone can give a Proper ID for them? Unknown Specimen 1: Unknown Specimen 2: Unknown Specimen 3:
  7. On Sunday, I finally went again the Mazon Creek and later a Bond Formation rock formation of Pennsylvanian age, around 300 Million Years ago, in Braidwood, Illinois and Oglesby, Illinois with three friends after some scheduling adjustments. The trip was awesome and we collected a pretty impressive fossil haul. At Mazon Creek, We mainly hunted for fossils around the shores of local power plant cooling pond (which despite apparently having water temperatures that day of 100 degrees Celsius, still had a decent amount of birds resting on-top). We saw also a large rock pile on the other side of the lake, which we tried to get to on foot, but after an hour of walking decided to head back and try our luck next time. We then went to Oglesby. I'm still cleaning most of the Mazon Creek fossils, so for now I'll be showing my and my friends findings from the Oglesby site. It was pretty hot and got a little cut up on the rocks, but the fossil haul collected was awesome!!! Small jumping spider we found at the Oglesby site. A piece of either coral or Brachiopod one of my friends found in Oglesby. Anyone got an ID for this specimen? Pretty Impressive Crinoid Stems collected as part of the day's Oglesby fossil haul!!! But this next specimen is probably one of my favorites from this recent fossil haul. It's a partial Ctenacanthiform tooth tip (Possibly Gilkmanius sp.) on a limestone slab with some brachiopod fossils also attached (of which I put it recently under a dissecting scope). Based on the thickness and size of the tooth, the shark it came from must of been a pretty decent sized animal when alive!!! A pretty descent Neospirifer brachiopod specimen!!! This next specimen was truly an unexpected find for myself as I've seen a Ctenacanthiform tooth from the bond like this in person before (most I've collected and heard about are of a black coloration where this is a mixture of black, grey, and brown). I must say it's very beautiful and definitely from a Ctenacanthiform shark!!! But I'm curious as to what Ctenacanthiform species it could've come from? Any thoughts on its ID you guys?
  8. mtz

    Unknown Ordovician Fossil

    Found this in the Cincinnati arch along with standard brachiopods and rugose corals from Ordovician. I was thinking some sort of bryozoan? Crinoid ends don't look like this?
  9. Andúril Flame of the West

    A Foray Into the Ordovician

    For some time, I have been wanting to check out some of the lesser known formations that exist in my local area. The Devonian Mahantango Formation and the Needmore Shale are undoubtedly fun to explore and yield some beautifully preserved specimens - something that can be seen in a number of posts on this forum - but I still had the itch to collect from something a bit more obscure. That opportunity presented itself in the Ordovician limestones that expose intermittently in western northern Virginia. A small body of literature exists describing these formations and analyzing their fauna, particularly the silicified trilobites they are best known for, but they do not seem to be nearly as thoroughly explored as nearby Devonian formations. Armed with my trusty Estwing, an overly chipped chisel, and the hope of uncovering some silicified trilobites, I headed over to one of the better known Ordovician exposures in the Virginia area. This particular exposure is quite large and unique due to the different formations it exposes. The road cut begins beside a small stream (in which limestones can also be found) and is composed of large, white largely unfossiliferous limestone. This limestone represents either the New Market Formation or the Lower Lincolnshire limestone. As one moves rightward along the exposure, the white limestones continue for some time before grading into significantly darker limestones. These, which are part of the Upper Lincolnshire limestone, have been interpreted to represent the Taconic orogeny which took place in the Appalachian region during the latter part of the Ordovician period. The dark Upper Lincolnshire continues for an appreciable distance as one travels right until it eventually transitions to the Edinburg limestone. The Edinburg limestone, which is composed of alternating beds of limestone and shale, also represents a period of rather intense deposition caused by erosion of the mountains that had formed during the Taconic orogeny. The Edinburg limestone at the exposure appears white to dusky grey due to weathering, but, interestingly enough, when it is chipped, the true jet black coloration of the limestone is revealed. The sequence continues past the bounds of the road cut that I explored, with an exposure of the Martinsburg Formation - which is yet younger than the Edinburg formation - exposing not far from the road cut. Here are a few pictures I took of the road cut. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to take more pictures, and I am not exactly sure as to the specific formations each photograph depicts. I briefly explored the Upper and Lower Lincolnshire limestones, but I did not find much with regards to fossil content. Most of my exploration was focused on the layers of the Edinburg limestone, which I had heard were the most productive with regards to silicified trilobites. Unfortunately, I do not believe that I recovered any silicified trilobites from the exposure. However, I did manage to find some silicified brachiopods in varying states of preservation and a number of other interesting fossils that I have not been able to identify. Now, let's delve into some of the finds . Brachiopod 1: Brachiopod 2: Brachiopod 3: Brachiopod 4: Brachiopod 5: Brachiopod 6: This particular brachiopod previously had more of the (silica?) coating, though I believe I inadvertently removed it by treating the specimen with concentrated vinegar. I would not want this to happen to any other specimens, but Brachiopod 3 and some of the others would certainly look very nice if some more of the limestone/mineral coating could be removed. Would there be a way to do this without physical preparation techniques (I do not possess the proper equipment for this and even if I did, I would be afraid of ruining the fragile specimens)? Brachiopod 7: This was one of the best preserved brachiopods that I found, which was quite ironic since it happened to be exposed to the elements right on the surface of the limestone. The photographs are not the best and I can certainly take more if they are needed. Brachiopod 8: Brachiopod 10: There were more brachiopods uncovered... but I think that is enough for one post. Now for some interesting microfossil hashplates that I decided to keep. Hash 1: Under the Microscope: Hash 2: Hash 4 Here I have included some photographs of some specimens that I have not been able to readily identify. Any help in identifying what organisms they are and even what genus/species they could be would be greatly appreciated! Below each one I have included a tentative guess as to what each fossil is. Unknown 1: I believe that this may be a weathered brachiopod viewed from the inside of the shell. Unknown 2: An interesting feature of the limestone or perhaps a preserve fragment of an arthropod/trilobite carapace? Unknown 3: I would guess that this piece would have the same origin as the specimen pictured directly above. Unknown 4: Same as the previous two unknowns? Unknown 5: One of the larger and more interesting specimens that I found at the exposure. I am not at all sure what it is, though I would guess that it might be part of a graptolite or bryozoan. I'd be very curious to hear what others think about this specimen in particular. Unknown 6: Not at all sure what this is. To me it looks like it is a fossil, but it could very well be a mineral stain of some sort. Unknown 7: Upon first cleaning this specimen I thought that it might be a very weathered brachiopod. However, after inspection under the microscope it seems to me that it might simply be a mineral deposit or a geological feature. Unknown 8: An interesting piece of detritus found on the plate containing Unknown 5. Unknown 9: I would imagine that this is either an encrusting bryozoan, a sponge, or a fragment of trilobite cephalon. Unknown 10: Unfortunately I do not have a larger, better picture of this specimen. I will try to take another photograph of this one. I do believe that this might be some sort of fenestrate bryozoan. Although most of the specimens were smaller than those I am used to collecting, I was glad to have some interesting mysteries and to have the Ordovician represented in my collection. All of the micro photographs that I took were taken using a Celestron Microcapture Pro Microscope, which has been working phenomenally to view even some of the smallest fossils. I hope that you enjoy reading this post and I want to extend my gratitude in advance to any who help with identification of the specimens! (Edit: Not sure why these photographs keep appearing at the bottom of the post. Does anyone know how to fix this?)
  10. Joseph Fossil

    Trip to Oglesby 5/27/2023

    To really start the summer off well, I went recently to a Bond Formation rock formation of Pennsylvanian age, around 300 Million Years ago, in Oglesby Illinois with a few friends. The trip was overall good, though I almost fell off the rocks a couple times. It was a bit hot but overall I think I got a decent amount of fossils for the day. I found a decent amount of Crinoid stem fossils, of which here are a few of them: Found lots of what I think are Chondricthyian teeth (Chomatodus, Gilkmanius, etc.). But I would like help identifying them!!! Unknown Specimen 1
  11. Isotelus2883

    Some Penn Dixie Unidentified

    Some specimens I have that need an ID. Thanks in advance for the help. 1. Phyllocarid bit? From the trilobite beds. 2. Bryozoan. Width around 4 mm. From the Bayview Coral beds. Rhombopora? 3. Another bryozoan. Also from the Bayview. Another Rhombopora? 4. Some kind of Strophomenid brachipod? Again, from the Bayview. 5. Very badly preserved gastropod. From the trilobite beds.
  12. My better half has just rediscovered some of her old fossils from years ago - as such, she does not know the provenance, though based on the matrix and preservation, I believe them to be Cotswoldian in origin - Jurassic, Inferior/Greater Oolite. These two in particular absolutely had us stumped - This is number one - I originally thought disarticulated crinoid, but the 'branching' pattern in picture 2 threw me off a lot, going to bryozoans and all sorts, bouncing around til' I decided, maybe, not a fossil? But then again, it displays the glow from calcite: And, secondly: The gap between the layers suggests to me that something dissolved - a shell? Any input appreciated! Isaac
  13. Mikrogeophagus

    Schizorthosecos interstitia

    From the album: Eocene

    Schizorthosecos interstitia, Burleson Co. Lutetian, Eocene Dec, 2022
  14. A few days ago I went on a fossil hunt with @Tales From the Shale and another friend to a rock formation of Pennsylvanian age, around 300 Million Years old, in Oglesby, Illinois. We also went to a second site in the Mazon Creek area in Braceville, Illinois. Today I decided to put some of the specimens I found under a dissecting scope to see them better and potentially get a proper ID for them. Here is a little Crinoid specimen (I think it may be the top part) Here is a nodule I found at the Mazon Creek site. @Tales From the Shale Identified the specimen as possible fossilized plant seeds.
  15. Joseph Fossil

    Trip to Oglesby 2/18/2023

    Two days ago I went with @Tales From the Shale and another friend on a fossil hunting trip to a Bond Formation Roadcut in Oglesby, Illinois with rocks dating around 307-303 Million years ago, to the Pennsylvanian section of the Carboniferous era. Hadn't been back to the site since October 2022 and it was good to be back! I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of snow. But it was clear it only melted very recently judging by the arm sized icicles and the mud. (Quick advice for anyone planning to go fossil hunting at this time in Oglesby: bring snow boots to balance yourself on the rocks and mud, they will be a life saver). Found the usual brachiopods and crinoid bits at first, but then I found a 5cm long crinoid stem (the most intact one I've found so far from the area). I don't know currently what species it belongs to. We worked for two hours at the site before heading to another site in Braceville before heading back to Chicago. Today, I looked at some of the specimens I found and realized I found a lot more than I initially expected. Definitely enjoyed finding the large brachiopods (the second one I believe is a large Linoproductus). Found some Bryozoan (species unknown), the first I've discovered in Oglesby. Found a small but still pretty cool Cladodont shark tooth around 1-2cm in length. Currently don't know the species yet. Another cool Brachiopod (I think it's a Punctospirifer species). Also found some Petalodus teeth, Trilobite pieces, and bits of Peripristis. I'll post those and more detailed images of the others when I have access to my college's microscopes later this week.
  16. I heard from a friend that someone recently posted a bryozoan I found here but I missed seeing it and I can't find it so they may have been mistaken. However, that reminded me that I had only posted it on Facebook so I thought you might like seeing it here too. I'm pretty sure it is a Tabulipora carbonaria which must have been named by a lumper since it appears in such a wide variety of forms. It can be branching, encrusting or massive. The latter is how you describe one than is self-encrusting, forming a sub-hemispherical mound, much like a stromatolite. This is one of the branching forms and came from the Finis Shale of Jack County Texas, a Late Pennsylvanian member of the Graham Formation. The ones I usually find are much smaller, with a diameter less than 3 mm. When I walked up on this I thought it was a burrow infill until I noticed the zooecia. Then I assumed it was the encrusting type until I look at a cross-section with a loupe. Maybe some of you find them this big normally but this is a first for me. In situ image ready to assemble close-up of side closer end view, millimeter scale close-up of end
  17. Lucid_Bot

    No Geological Information

    Hi, I don't have any information on this specimen since I believe the rock that I found it in is foreign to the area I discovered it. Although I think the rock is from somewhere around the Western Pennsylvania/Eastern Ohio area. It is approximately 2.6 cm by 2 cm. Just hoping someone has some idea what it is. Thanks again.
  18. Jan Lester

    Coral heads?

    Found several pieces of shale on the side of a mountain near Townsend, TN, that looked promising. Third pic is the “fossil” that made me pick up this rock and two others. I think I see bryozoans in there, and maybe brachiopods? But I can’t figure what I’m looking at. At first I thought echinoderm, but the geometry is wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated!
  19. historianmichael

    Stomatopora sp.

    From the album: C&D Canal Micro Fossils

  20. I recently came across a new locality that exposes a calcareous section of the Red Mountain Formation. After braving poison oak, wasp attacks, swarms of gnats, and spiders, I've come out with some spectacularly preserved brachiopods, especially for this formation. I believe Dolerorthis sp.? Resserella sp. Not quite sure, looks like some kind of orthid. Leptaena sp. Another unknown orthid. A really well preserved Lingula sp. Slabs like this are fairly common, but the rock is so fragile it's difficult to get any back in one piece. The one piece in the bottom right caught my eye since it looks superficially like a Bumastus sp. fragment. Could be a brachiopod, though exposures I've found in similar rocks (also in the Red Mountain Formation) have turned up abundant trilobite remains, including Bumastus sp. Besides brachiopods, I've found a few other things. An interesting bryozoan? I'm not the best with colonial animals like this. A plate with several Hormotoma subulata(?) Hope you all enjoyed the photos! Please let me know if you think you have any IDs, I'm not too confident on some of these.
  21. HH360

    Need help identifying

    This was found in Scotland, unfortunately not sure exactly where. A friend suggested it could be part of a fossilized bryozoan colony and I was hoping to get confirmation or a correction.
  22. FossilSniper

    Field Collection at St. Leon

    On my eighth trip to the locality, I collected fossils at the famous St. Leon roadcut. Exposed were the Waynesville and Liberty formations, which date to the immense coral reefs of the upper Ordovician, or 450 ±5 MYA. The site was heavily picked, its erosive forces slowed during Indiana's summer heat. My drops of sweat evaporated on the sun-tempered limestone faster than I could count to ten. Despite the setbacks, acquisitions were generous. Best for last. Behold my brachiopods. The top row is Strophomena sp., the top-left sample demonstrating encrusting bryozoan. The second row is Vinlandostrophia ponderosa. The third and fourth rows are Lepidocyclus/Hiscobeccus, though I am of the opinion the genera are synonymous and are just sexual dimorphs given their identical ages, appearances, and regional occurrences. I am curious what other brachiopod enthusiasts think of this similarity. (Four boxes on the grid is 25 millimeters.) I continue with the bivalves. The top row is Caritodens sp, the top-left sample being a particularly well-preserved example. The bottom-left sample is Anomaladonta sp., and the bottom-right sample is a near-perfect Ambonychia sp. Life is incomplete without the gastropods! I didn't take French in high school for nothing! The top sample is unknown to me, despite being the second I have found of its type. The middle-left sample is too buried. The remaining four are all Paupospira sp., the middle sample being a good example. Interestingly, the bottommost Paupospira has a partial Flexicalymene sp. trilobite cephalon on it, which makes me question if the trilobite was consuming the calcium to augment its own development. However, considering the sample is a messy storm deposit, it is likely pure luck. I have to mention the numerous Isotelus maximus fragments at the site. When looking for fossils at St. Leon, one must wonder how many beautiful I. maximus lie under the surface, only to crumble down the slopes of the roadcut and into my hands. Of interest is the long, delicate genal spine on the top right. Now to the more interesting fossils. I follow with three of six total straight-shelled nautiloid cephalopods. The middle sample is a rare, (calcified) Anaspyroceras sp., and the right sample is also calcified. The beautiful, ancient calcite crystals within the dull-appearing right sample: Now to the next three. The left orthocone is all associated and is very large. The middle sample is also quite large. Species-level identification of orthocones can be difficult even with a clear cross-section of the siphuncle, so "straight-shelled nautiloid cephalopod" will have to suffice. However, I suspect these three samples are likely Treptoceras sp. Excellent samples to say the least. I kept saying "straight-shelled," so perhaps some of you guessed it: I found a coiled nautiloid cephalopod! These are very rare. I have found only a handful of these. Behold the curved Beloitoceras sp., a member of Oncocerida, to which the modern nautilus owes its existence to! It's unbelievable how this rock from half a billion years ago directly led to the existence of modern nautiloids! The continuity of life is incredible. The penultimate is a bryozoan fan. Yes, a fan! The bryozoan tapers off at the upper edges. I have never seen anything like it! It is 8x4 cm. And finally... ...a giant bryozoan! This is my biggest single fossil find ever! The caliper on the left is set all the way out to 15.00 cm! It is easily 15 inches in diameter and four inches thick! After crashing my bicycle a few weeks ago, this immense find could be my new wheel! Hear me out. In ten years of collecting, I have found many rare trilobites, behemoth cephalopods, and more, but this colony of tens of thousands of individual animals takes the cake for the most interesting fossil I've ever had the privilege to collect. On top of being huge and complete, it's riddled with trypanites (trace burrows for you bone hunters out there) from all a manner of creatures that used to reside in the Ordovician. I'm sure my fellow amateur paleontologists appreciate that this isn't just a fossil coral, it's an entire ecosystem! It's literally a window into life 450 million years ago! It's riddled with traces left by crinoid stems, scolecodonts (boring worms), parasitic encrusting bryozoans, brachiopods, bivalves, and so much else! I'm considering donating it to a museum. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed.
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