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After traveling to Central PA with @Dean Ruocco and practicing applied stratigraphy, we managed to uncover this Devonaster eucharis from a previously unknown Mahatango locality!

Return to the Badlands of North Texas At long last, rain graced the lands of North Texas this past week. For many of us, that meant it was time to finally crawl out of bed and beat the crowd to that one particular site desperately needing a refresh. In my case, I set on my way to explore a newer spot in the Grayson Marl while the ground was still nice and muddy. I'd been to this place once before, but it had already been thoroughly picked over. It's a popular site, but even then, it managed to pull through and produce some fine specimens for me to take home. With that in mind, I suited up in preparation for a very wet and very, very cold day in the "badlands" of North Texas. As I took my first step out of the car, my foot was immediately enveloped by a Grayson Marl pudding. I don't own boots, so my measly tennis shoe was suctioned off as I tried to wriggle free. Although the moistened marl was a hassle to trudge through, I quickly reassured myself that such a characteristic would be a benefit in terms of eroding new fossils and continued on my way. By the time I reached the spot, I was practically walking atop 6-inch platform shoes made of the stickiest mud known to man. It was no use shaking it off, so I accepted the burden of having to walking like a newborn giraffe for the rest of the day. Out in the distance, I could just make out a person with a bright orange beanie. Clearly, they too were chasing fossils after the rain. Luckily, the site was quite large, so there was plenty of room for both of us to graze. Still being unfamiliar with the locality, it took a while for me to adjust my eyes to hunting. The ridiculous number of fragmented shell bits and corroded pyrite fossils made it difficult to filter the noise out. However, the knowledge of what could be found kept me motivated. Eventually my efforts were rewarded with the first decent find of the day: A nicely sized Cretalamna Cretalamna catoxodon Soon after, I happened upon an area with a mess of brittle star limb fragments. I searched very thoroughly for a central disk, but nothing could be found, so I decided to swipe only a single piece. Keeping in the theme of weathered finds, I also spotted the most complete Coenholectypus I'd ever come across there. Though it looked nice, I again decided to leave it be. Few fossils are worth that much of a headache to consolidate! Coenholectypus castilloi? Already, a decent chunk of time had elapsed and I was a little discouraged with the lack of weight to my baggie. Meanwhile, the man in the bright orange beanie had steadily made his way closer to the area I had been working. It seemed he was about to finish up his session, so he walked over and introduced himself as Mike. Apparently, he is an admin for the Texas Fossil Hunting group on Facebook. Though he hunts all over the place, the site we were standing in was his main spot he had been visiting for three years! We had a nice conversation about the Grayson Marl as well as a handful of famous places around the state. Since ptychodus was my ultimate goal for the location, I also inquired as to how many he had found here in the badlands. For the span of three years, only two small specimens were to show. With numbers like that, I figured I better not get my hopes up. He showed off a few of his nicer finds from the morning, including dozens of tiny Goniophorus scotti, before saying goodbye and heading out. I still had a final stretch I wanted to check out, so squatted down and quickly got back to work. I think something about seeing his collection helped me to see things more clearly. I rapidly spotted several more C. catoxodon teeth after our encounter. However, I was most excited to find my first Squalicorax from this formation, despite its miniscule size. I know identification for this genus is quite convoluted, but I felt it had a likeness with S. baharijensis because of its broad neck, well developed serrations, and other features. Squalicorax baharijensis? To round off the day, I looked through one last mound of marl and spotted a very strange and distorted figure. It looked as though some larger fossil had been broken into rubble. I picked up a chunk and observed a texture I was not used to seeing. After taking a moment to process what exactly I was looking at, I realized it was the surface of a heart urchin, likely Hemiaster calvini, with the spines still articulated! I quickly began gathering the pieces in the immediate area in case they were from a single organism I could puzzle back together. At the time they were covered in mud, so I did not realize that they were from many individuals likely eroding from a single layer. At home, I put them under the microscope and found some interesting features generally unobservable in most spatangoid specimens. Have a look: A lot of times it's easy to forget how deeply similar irregular urchins are to their regular counterparts. With the naked eye, it's impossible to observe this level of detail in the tubercles of a spatangoid. However, at the microscopic level, we can see that they are alike. These tubercles, in my amateur opinion, are just like that of a salenia or cidarid species. My favorite observation was the presence of the articulated spines of course. Something I did not expect was their morphology. The bottom 2/3 of the spine appears to be longitudinally ridged and has a black color. The top 1/3 transitions to a yellow coloration while also beginning to flatten out into the shape of a shovel. Also, the spines seem to generally point away from the front of the urchins. I'm sure some of the resident echinoid experts on here are already well familiarized with the shovel shape of these spines, but I was quite intrigued. I already knew that irregular echies travel under substrate, so I began to wonder if these spines perhaps served a function that related to their lifestyle. If you haven't yet had the "aha moment", it appears that spatangoids use these shovel spines to help dig and move their bodies while buried! Hopefully this little tangent helped to enrich your appreciation for irregular echies as it did for me ! Anyways, by then I had had enough of the Grayson Marl and was ready to check out some other sites that were preferably a little easier to navigate. So I packed my things and headed for the car. But first, here is an overview of the Grayson Marl Finds: Hemiaster calvini with articulated spines. The one at the top seems to be complete, though completely flattened. The bottom chunks are from many individuals. I have many smaller pieces not pictured. From afar, they have a "fuzzy" texture. Top L to R: Ophiura graysonensis limb frag, Stereocidaris hemigranosus plates, S. hemigranosus spines (cool), and Parasmilia graysonensis solitary corals. Bottom L to R: Bivalve, bivalve, Neithea texana scallop, unknown fossil with interesting bumpy texture (perhaps decapod), and Mariella bosquensis heteromorph ammonite. Top L to R: Cretalamna catoxodon, Squalicorax baharijensis?, Cretoxyrhina vraconensis? (more on this at end of the topic), and Cretalamna catoxodon. Bottom L to R: Various verts, Xiphactinus tooth? (no cutting edges - always wonder if these could be pterosaur), and fishy bits. ~ ~ ~ Some Say Lightning Doesn't Strike the Same Place Twice... Well, the original plan was to scope out two new Pawpaw sites in the area, but, in my exhausted state, I decided to say screw it and take a trip to my favorite spot in the Pawpaw. It's been said that you shouldn't go looking for fossils when you've already found them, so what was the point in risking my time and energy when I could see what the rain had swept out at ole reliable. When I got to the exposure, I went straight for the productive layer and instantly had a field day with a plethora of micro ammonites. I'm guessing since they had limited exposure to the atmosphere, they were still shiny and easily spotted. It was definitely the best luck I'd had for cephalopods so far at the place. The first picture-worthy find was an exceptionally preserved central disc to a brittle sea star. I could tell it had eroded from a layer different to the previous starfish I had found. Unfortunately, there was not even a single associated limb fragment in sight. The aboral side appears to differ from that of Ophiura graysonensis. It is difficult to compare with O. texana of the Weno since the only picture I could find of the type specimen is blurry and the fossil itself hard to make out. So, I'll stick with Ophiura sp. for now. Periodically I came across more fantastically preserved crab carapaces. It seems every hunt at this site, I find one beautiful Feldmannia wintoni carapace and this visit was no different. In the past, the better Steorrosia crabs I gathered tended to be S. aspera, but this time, I finally collected a couple great S. pawpawensis specimens including my second carapace with preserved eyes! The fierce compound eye of Steorrosia pawpawensis! Vertebrate fossils are tough to come by, so any shark tooth is a welcome site. The one pictured below had an amazing purple tint that sadly did not stay after being cleaned. It was my first Squalicorax from the Pawpaw, so I knew I was adding a new species to my collection. After some research online, I believe it to be Squalicorax priscoserratus on the basis of its thin neck, dense root, and well-developed serrations. Squalicorax priscoserratus I hadn't been hunting for long when I began to tire. Since the ground was so muddy, I didn't have the chance to sit and hunt like I usually prefer to do. On top of all the squatting, staying right side up on the slippery muck created additional strain. I decided to finish up a little early and save some of the site for a future day when the conditions were drier. I set a location in my mind for where I would call it quits - the area I had found the articulated brittle sea star in my last visit. Of course, I would be crazy to expect a repeat of such a legendary find, but I would be lying if I said the thought wasn't hanging over my head throughout the final 15 minutes of the day. In parts of medieval Europe, heart urchins were once known as "thunderstones" for their supposed creation at the place of a lightning strike sent by a god. They were magical items collected and often cherished by those who hoped to find connection with the heavens. In modern times, such beliefs are easily dismissed, but that isn't to say that the same curiosity and admiration those distant peoples felt for these treasures has eroded away in the slightest. As I approached the location of where the last articulated sea star had been found, I began to wonder if the fossil gods may have cast another bolt in my favor. Kneeling down for one last time, my eyes were embraced with the sight that sent me straight back to my feet. Although the ground didn't show any apparent signs of burn marks sparked by the wrath of Zeus, I was face to face with something I thought I would only find in dreams. A horde of 15 brittle star limb fragments surrounded a single yellow central disc. For reference, my last star had only 4 limb fragments! To any passerby, I looked crazy with the number of fist pumps I was doing. I made sure to gather as much as I could and headed for the car, though I was definitely not in the right head space to be driving . In situ. Doesn't look like much yet! The consolidating process was tedious as expected. Thankfully, my last project had given me some much-needed practice that made the process much easier than it could have otherwise been. With each attachment, the delicate figure of this animal could be more thoroughly appreciated. Once it was complete, I took way too many pictures, but can you really blame me ? Brittle sea stars old and new This is my new favorite in my collection! I'm almost afraid to return to the spot because I know it'll be a let down from this... though on second thought I guess I'm not afraid enough to stay away. Overview of Pawpaw Formation Finds: Top L to R: Cantabrigites wenoensis, Engonorceras serpintinum, and Stoliczkaia asiatica. Bottom L to R: Neophlycticeras sp., Enigmaticeras riceae, Scaphites hilli, Stoliczkaia worthense, and Conlinites wrighti. Not 100% on some of these IDs but based off of overall morphology and suture patterns shown on a publication, these are the names I've somewhat confidently come up with. Top L to R: Steorrosia aspera (the one on the right is oddly shaped and could be something entirely different), Feldmannia wintoni (beautiful blue coloration), and Steorrosia pawpawensis (The one on top has the preserved eyes). Bottom L to R: Various decapod fragments. A look at the undersides of (L to R) Steorrosia aspera, Feldmannia wintoni, and Steorrosia pawpawensis. A close up of the spines on one of the claw fragments: Top L to R: Squalicorax priscoserratus, and Haimirichia anomensis (Even though this is upper Albian and not Cenomanian, I assume this newly described genus applies to this tooth since Eostriatolamia anomensis/Carcharias anomensis were previously known from the Pawpaw). Bottom: Fish parts Brittle stars of the day, oral and aboral sides: ~~~ Questions Just to round off the post, I have some questions regarding identifying teeth from the Pawpaw and Grayson (Late Albian and Early Cenomanian). Specifically, I have confusion when distinguishing between Cretalamna and Cretoxyrhina. About a month ago, I found a tooth in the Pawpaw that I think strongly resembles Cretoxyrhina vraconensis. During my recent hunt in the Grayson, I picked up a couple of damaged teeth that seem to usually be identified as Cretalamna online, but I think share a resemblance with my Pawpaw Cretoxyrhina specimen (similar tiny splayed cusplets and a large, protruding root). So, I am wondering if any of you can help to clarify. Are these teeth also Cretoxyrhina or simply more Cretalamna? I may even have my Pawpaw tooth misidentified for all I know. L to R: My Pawpaw "Cretoxyrhina vraconensis", two unknown teeth from the Grayson (Cretalamna catoxodon or possibly Cretoxyrhina denticulata/C. vraconensis), and lastly a pretty obvious Cretalamna catoxodon from the Grayson. Feel free to let me know if you would like additional pictures or @ some who might know a thing or two! Thanks for reading!

The brief visit to the second half of the Pawpaw exposure turned out to be a huge success. I didn't think it was possible, but the finds got even better! There wasn't much of a story to be had with accessing the site, so I'll keep things brief and jump straight into the finds. Once I relocated the productive greyish layer, I was already gathering various claw bits left and right. Their bright white coloration really makes them pop out from the ground. However, I didn't let this lead me into lowering the thoroughness of my search. I still took a close look at every pebble and under every rock. The fruit of my labors came when I locked onto the first shark tooth for the site, a small Leptostyrax macrorhiza. I've found one in the past in the Duck Creek, but never in the Pawpaw. Nine times out of ten I would have missed this guy. Just look at how hidden he is in this photo: Leptostyrax macrorhiza hidden beneath a couple pebbles The vertebrate finds continued with a tiny ~1 cm fish jaw fragment. Let me know if you recognize it: Close up with my new stereo microscope! Not too long after, the crustacean finds began to ramp up. Scattered about were fragments of carapaces. It was only a matter of time before the first complete carapace of the day was found. Steorrosia aspera I want to say I continued finding several more that weren't impressive in situ, but amazing after cleaning. One Steorrosia sp. was pretty banged up on the sides, so I couldn't confidently pin an ID. However, I noticed that it had little black dots where the eyes are usually missing in these crab fossils. Well, my Christmas gift came right on time! I placed it under the digital microscope and almost fell out of my chair. This little crab had preserved compound eyes. I'm not sure how rare such a feature is, but it impressed the hell out of me. I should warn that the pics aren't terribly clear since taking photos requires me to press a button on the microscope that shakes the whole thing. Plus, viewing something so small had the device at its absolute maximum magnification. Hopefully you all can spot the pattern on the compound eyes. Underside of the Steorrosia sp. The face of the Steorrosia sp. A close up of one compound eye. Those faint circles are what I interpret to be the individual eyes. Although not from the grey layer I was hunting in, pyritic cephalopods could be found washed out from the red sandstone above. Most are pretty beat up, but I make sure to collect a little bit of each species I can find. I have enough Engonoceras serpintinum as it stands, but I can't help taking a picture when I find a nice one. Engonoceras serpintinum Mantelliceras sp. The first unorthodox find of the day was very clearly a tiny brittle sea star leg. I've always wanted to find starfish parts, so I was super excited to pick this specimen up.... little did I know. Not sure if it possible to ID beyond genus from just a leg segment: Ophiura sp. in situ Close up of same leg From there, I found a couple more very nice carapaces including a MUCH more complete Texicancer renfroae?. Face of the Texicancer renfroae? I hate to say I may have already found a Feldmannia wintoni that surpasses the one I submitted to FotM I need to figure out how to turn off that pesky time stamp on the bottom right. Starting to feel like I'm taking crab mugshots When I got home, I was able to clean up and analyze a couple of enigmatic specimens that had initially given me starfish vibes. After a bit of research, I believe my hunch was right. These two specimens each have one side covered in "spikes". I found a paper (Blake and Reid 1998) on Pawpaw starfish that had similar structures on the oral sides of the arms. Betelgeusia reidi (cool genus name btw) seemed the closest match, but it's a tough call. And to round it off with one of the most legendary finds in my fossil hunting career, a mess of associated brittle sea star chunks including the central disc and several arms fragments. I tried to find more, but these were the only pieces I came up with. It was a massive pain paraloiding this thing together I must admit. There's not much surface area to work with, but it eventually came it alright. Actually looking at it again, I think I put the short arm on upside down, but that will be a headache for another day... The only local brittle star species I know from this period would be Ophiura graysonensis and O. texana. Hard for me to say which it resembles more closely, but I'm leaning towards graysonensis, assuming those exist beyond just the Grayson Marl. The central disc and a couple of arm bits in situ Oral side? Aboral side? It's safe to say this is my most productive hunt yet! Hopefully you all enjoyed reading through this little report. Here is an overview of the finds: Fish jaw section, Leptostyrax macrorhiza, and xiphactinus? tooth fragment (was hoping it was pterosaur ) Crabs of the day L to R: Various Steorrosia, Feldmannia wintoni, Texicancer renfroae?, and Steorrosia reidi? Top: Engonoceras serpintinum Bottom L to R: Mantelliceras sp., Mariella worthensis, Scaphites hilli, and Baculites comanchesnis? Ophiura sp. arm fragment, chunks of Betegeusia reidi?, and a couple of bivalves Thanks for reading!

Day Two ; Locality Two (or Seven if you include Day One) Prepping and Retail, Erfoud, Morocco. 20th February 2019 Erfoud town itself is famous for its beautiful fossils, its skilled fossil preppers and also for its wide variety of fakes, composites, good and bad repair jobs and utter frankenfossils. A large percentage of fossils from Morocco that are available in shops and on the internet the world over originate from here or pass through the place. Fossils are sent here for prepping from all over the south and then sent from here everywhere in the country and abroad. There are many little shops, prepping centres with huge attached shops and 'museums which are really pretty much just shops as well. Top Tip :The prices here are about ten times the price of the prices in the little shacks on the edge of town or elsewhere in Morocco, but haggling can reduce the cost significantly. Many places have 'fixed' prices, but they're actually always negotiable. This time, we went to the one my friend Anouar, who is a tour guide, takes his tourists and I was asked politely not to accuse the owners and chap who'd show us around and do the chat, of having fakes or wrong info, so i had to bite my lip. We asked if it was okay to take photos and they said yes, which I was surprised about, but I guess it was because Anouar was going to use photos for his own purposes and this would involve advertising the shop. Top Tip : You will see a lot of fixed prices in Moroccan Dirham in the pieces and shelves. Divide by ten to have a price in US dollars. Because we were with Anouar, we were told everything is 50% of the marked price, but I suspect they often do this anyway, "Special Berber prices, today only". I've heard that before. And you can still haggle to get something way under that 50% and you just know they'll still be making a good profit. I didn't buy anything. Little local stores are more my line anyway - I rarely shop in supermarkets. Here is the entrance where you can see huge plates ready for prepping and polishing, some have been cut into pieces and they glued back together it seems to me, I know this happens with the crinoid beds, so i guess it's true of the orthocerid and goniatite stuff too. Some just look cobbled together because of the circular saw marks when cutting out upper layers.With these, polishing will remove the grid lines. These sheets are from the local area and contain the goniatites and orthoconic nautiloids we were walking on earlier, but from a better quality, less eroded and distorted source. Famennian, Upper Devonian, I think. This photo shows one of the trenches they dig to reach the best quality material, similar to the ones i was walking along earlier this day : Below, somebody walking on the slabs and some maps of the the world at different times in it's past, showing continental drift. : Notice these are not the famous black orthocerid marbles that come from elsewhere. The picture of Spinosaurus is a bit misleading, as you all know, it's not found in these marbles or in the Erfoud area. In fact there is very little Kem Kem material available here these days, though there was in the past. I suspect the Kem Kem area probably has it's own facillities nowadays.

I've been collecting at the actual Swatara Gap site since I was a kid and over the years collected most of the trilobites and starfish that were found there. However, there are some starfish that I would like to verify. I've tried literature searches and know there is a 1989 paper on them , but I cannot find it on-line. Hopefully, one of you guys can help with identifying these specimens. Any help would be appreciated/

Hiya everyone I Recently bought this starfish fossil (it hasn’t arrived yet) any help with an id would be great I’m assuming it’s from the English coast as the seller selling it was getting rid of a collection of all British fossils. cheers

Got me some matrix from a couple of sites in the Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation- one of my favorite (and closest to me!) formations. So much tiny stuff!! It's too dang hot to hunt in Texas (we are on day 58 of 100+ F degree ). So, hunting from home is my preferred pastime! Here are some of my recent nice finds. My best thing I found, which I was quite excited about is a little madreporite - part of a starfish cirulatory system. I found one big one (1/2 inch) at this same site a few years ago but had not found one since, so was happy to find this little one. It's only 1/4 inch. Here's the big one and the little one: Found quite a few little starfish ossicles. Not many Glen Rose starfish have been found "whole" or even partly whole. If I remember correctly @JohnJ is one of the few who have found them at least partly whole. My favorite are these bumpy ones. There are two found in this formation - a larger more robust smooth with tiny dimples and these smaller, skinny bumpy ones. Another treat to find are these floating crinoids - a relatively rare thing in the Cretaceous. I was happy to finally find this mostly whole one....often they are missing a section. I think this is a Solanocrinites sp. This one preserved a little better, but as you can see, has a chunk missing. But that Star!! And more crinoids - the variation in the Isocrinus annulatus amazes me: And don't forget the Echinoids! I found a lovely Pygopyrina hancockensis size 1/4 inch a nice sized Hyposalenia phillipsae 3/8 inch a small one: 1/8 inch and a juvenile! 1/16 inch Also found this interesting spine - possibly a Cidarid spine. Some decent tiny crab claws (unknown) and finally, a Foraminifera Orbitolina texana which you can see some of the structure of. I thought that was pretty cool

Hi there! I saw a fossil at an antique show recently marked as a Geocoma carinata and was wondering if it was real or fake; it looks almost too good to be true, and I would really appreciate some expert input!

Everyone I've encountered on this site has been very helpful, so thank you. However, I'm in need of more help. For the last year I've been collecting real fossils in the field and selling some to pay for more exotic rocks. In a recent post I found that my Solnhofen shrimp is, if not totally, mostly fake. Now I'm quite suspicious of my entire purchased collection and was hoping you could help me identify fakes. The first two pictures are apparently Priscacara, Green River Formation, Eocene; the next two supposedly Asteroidea, Morocco, Ordovician; the last three supposedly Triassic, Arizona petrified wood--this came from the same group that sold me the fake shrimp. All help is appreciated.

I have never seen starfish and matrix like this. Do you think it is real or fake? Thanks in advance!

This fossil is of Late Ordovician age from the Upper Ktaoua Formation at Erfoud, Morocco. It is quite obviously a starfish, so is in the class Asteroidea. The starfish is about 8.5 cm across. I'd like to know if anyone has a more specific id, ideally the genus but otherwise the family or at least the order.

Sooo....wondering if any of you in the academic field might know if there is a 3D printer fossil starfish "program"? Not sure what they are called....template? File? Anyways, I have seen some but they are not specifically fossil starfish. I would like a fossil starfish, not a modern. Anyways, just thought I'd ask.....

Back in the Fall I got permission to visit a small exposure of the Early Albian Glen Rose Formation. Unfortunately the property owner told me that I could only visit on a Friday. We had planned a visit a few times but for some reason or another the plans kept falling through. Today I finally got the chance to visit. Sadly today was one of the coldest days this month. Temperatures hovered in the low 40s with a wind chill factor in the low 30s. After visiting the site I checked out a couple of other spots in the area that I had previously visited. The finds were tough to come by, partly because it was so hard to focus while strong wind gusts chilled my mind and soul as I stared at the ground. But for what today was, I am happy that I at least found something new. Today's new find was this cool partial sea star arm. @erose found one a few years ago in the Glen Rose Formation but this one seems different from the one he found. I have had a lot of success finding claws of the hermit crab Pagurus banderensis at one of the other sites I visited. Today was no different.

From Morocco. Is it a fossil? Or a work of art?

I found a few interesting things at a road cut near Brady TX that I had went to with the Austin Paleontological society. I found a layer that had about 140 starfish and in the same area some of the layers had pieces of petrified wood and what looks like tiny leaves. Any info is appreciated Thanks

I found this worn piece of Berea Sandstone that seems to have once hosted a bunch of brittle stars on the face. How would you calculate the risk:reward ratio wrt splitting it to see if there are pristine brittle star fossils inside, and if so, what's the best method to expose potential fossils without an air scribe and without jeopardizing the brittle stars that are exposed? It's about an inch thick and has a very, very, very slight hint of a fissure near the face. Sorry for the poor pics.

Largest find of Jurassic starfish and relatives ever discovered in the UK excavated by Natural History Museum British Natural History Museum Part-time adventurers’: amateur fossil hunters get record haul in Cotswolds More than 1,000 scientifically significant specimens taken from former quarry after discovery. Miranda Bryant, The Guardian, July 20, 2021 Yours, Paul H.

Hi all, I have a particular request. I want to trade for a starfish or brittlestar I can trade one of the following two fossils: Predaceous diving beetle larva Coptoclava longipoda 125.5 - 122.5 mya | early Cretaceous Yixian Formation Liutiaogou Village, Dashuangmiao Town, Ningcheng County, Nei Mongol There are several additional insects as seen in the pictures below Black ammonite Trachyceras multituberculatum 232 - 221.5 mya | late Triassic Xiaowa Formation Lower Member, upper unit Guanling, Guizhou Province Matrix is 65 mm long Thank you - Andy

About 18 years ago, when I was on holiday with my family in the Cevennes in southern France, I found lots of ammonite fossils near a rivier. I also picked up this slap of stone with strange imprints in it. Tracks of a sea creature like a worm or arthropod? On the other side are the imprints of something that looks like a starfish. It has been a mystery for me since the day I found it. Any suggestions/ideas what i can be?

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/01/332713/scientists-discover-worlds-oldest-starfish-fossil-in-morocco/ Excuse the terrible reporting, but otherwise very interesting.

For Father's Day Weekend my dad and I drove into Pennsylvania yesterday to collect Ordovician fossils at a location I read about with access to the Salona Formation. With rain in the forecast I was a little worried the trip would be a total wash. Instead, we experienced beating sun, and, having left our hats at home, we quickly began to overheat. My dad also found two snakes while overturning some large rocks. To say the least my dad was ready to leave after an hour. Luckily I was able to convince him that if he wanted to stop he should at least let me poke around for another 30 minutes. While I was poking around my dad decided that it would be safer for him to remove and examine new material than to work in the talus. We worked for another hour before calling it a day. When we got home I went to work washing off the many hash plates my dad exposed while removing new material. The plates were covered in a fine layer of dust so it was incredible to see what they fully held after washing them off. As I was washing one plate I had to stop myself in the middle. I could not believe my eyes. In the bottom corner of one plate there was a rather familiar shape that I was not expecting to see. I immediately knew what it had to be. In all of the literature I have seen no mention of starfish fossils being found at this site. Given that my dad was ready to leave after an hour I consider this find even more lucky. Although I did not have anything to go on, I believe that the starfish is Promopalaester bellulus. It certainly made for an exciting and memorable Father's Day Weekend! Here are some of our other exciting finds: Hash Plates with Bits of Cryptolithus Ventral Ceraurus Cephalon Pygidial Spine of Ceraurus Ventral Isotelus Thorax

Saturday dawned a bit chilly, but the sun peeped out from lingering clouds to brighten a stellar day of fossil prospecting in the Ordovician bedrock of central Pennsylvania. We strolled along the limestone ground, like beachcombers peering in shallow shore waters, when my relatively newbie friend exclaimed, "That looks like a starfish!" Bingo...Indeed it was an Asteroidea. I'm guessing it's genus Urasterella, and I wonder how rare is this find. The specimen's longest ray is 1.75 inches (4.45 cm). Photos are the rock slab and a closeup of the mostly complete starfish, as found.

Welp. I did it. I got through the last of the fossil boxes. Tons of common stuff and Hundreds of old Ward’s samples to organize and inventory. but the very last specimen in the very last box is worth sharing....