Roby Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) Just joint and wanted to get my first entry in. This middle Pennsylvanian concretion from Mazon Creek, was discovered in 2015 in pit 2, in an area I call Ivy Ridge thanks to all the Poison Ivy in the area. The finger near the top right should be where the shark emerged. I did not find this shark egg case variety posted. I hope this helps in future identification. Eventually I will be getting the measurement blocks. Shark Egg Case Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Palaeoxyris multiplicatum Horseshoe crab Phylum: Arthopoda Superclass: Chelicerata Class: Merostomata Order: Xiphosura Euproops danae Edited January 4, 2020 by Roby 19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Wow, what an entrance to make. Spectacular find, welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I agree with what @connorp said, spectacular find ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalodus12 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Wonderful find! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Hello, Roby, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco. What an incredible specimen. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Wow! Welcome to the Forum. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 7 hours ago, Roby said: I did not find this shark egg case variety posted. I don’t think I have seen one here before. Welcome to the forum! @Nimravis @RCFossils @Mark Kmiecik might be interested in seeing this. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruger9a Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Super sharp detail and with two different specimens in one nodule - WOW!!! What a spectacular find. Any more to show us? Welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Welcome to the forum! I don't know if that find would spur me on to spend all my waking hours wading through the poison ivy to find something to top it--or if it would be a mic drop moment where I'd just declare Mazon Creek 'done'. Looking forward to more of your finds. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I agree with all of the comments of my fellow forum members above - what a great specimen - and can only add a welcome to the forum from Austin, Tx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlehead Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 This is one the best examples of Palaeoxyris multiplicatum I have seen. Unfortunately it is broken and at least two of the outer bands have cracked off from the surface. But it is still remarkably complete. Unlike other Palaezoic shark egg cases, P. multiplicatum had a rigid body which had at least 2 ridgid layers that cracked when compressed. It is my opinion that the material at the top right is unlikely to be from the shark emerging. There is only one known example of a shark clearly emerging from the egg case. It is a Bandringa rayi and the egg case is a Palaeoxyris prendelli. This is a different egg case species, but a baby or young shark has very little structure and is little more than a color differential on the rock. The anomaly near the beak is most likely a piece is of the broken egg case which is very commonly found with this species of egg case. For further information I made a website dealing with the Mazon Creek shark eggs: http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/978 Hope that helps, Jack 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roby Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) Thanks Jack. I was told by someone with more knowledge of this being the possible exit point. People do say things just to please. Would it be useful for research at the Filed Museum? Would it be OK to post the fertile fern I donated? Edited January 4, 2020 by Roby update 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Wow, what an awesome association! Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing an incredible fossil, @Roby. 31 minutes ago, fiddlehead said: This is one the best examples of Palaeoxyris multiplicatum I have seen. Unfortunately it is broken and at least two of the outer bands have cracked off from the surface. But it is still remarkably complete. Unlike other Palaezoic shark egg cases, P. multiplicatum had a rigid body which had at least 2 ridgid layers that cracked when compressed. It is my opinion that the material at the top right is unlikely to be from the shark emerging. There is only one known example of a shark clearly emerging from the egg case. It is a Bandringa rayi and the egg case is a Palaeoxyris prendelli. This is a different egg case species, but a baby or young shark has very little structure and is little more than a color differential on the rock. The anomaly near the beak is most likely a piece is of the broken egg case which is very commonly found with this species of egg case. For further information I made a website dealing with the Mazon Creek shark eggs: http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/978 Hope that helps, Jack That is great information. Do you know if the Bandringa with the egg case has been published? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 11 minutes ago, Roby said: Thanks Jack. I was told by someone with more knowledge of this being the possible exit point. People do say things just to please. Would it be OK to post the fertile fern I donated? It most certainly would. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stats Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 22 hours ago, Roby said: Just joint and wanted to get my first entry in. This middle Pennsylvanian concretion from Mazon Creek, was discovered in 2015 in pit 2, in an area I call Ivy Ridge thanks to all the Poison Ivy in the area. The finger near the top right should be where the shark emerged. I did not find this shark egg case variety posted. I hope this helps in future identification. Eventually I will be getting the measurement blocks. Shark Egg Case Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Palaeoxyris multiplicatum Horseshoe crab Phylum: Arthopoda Superclass: Chelicerata Class: Merostomata Order: Xiphosura Euproops danae Awesome find! Two great specimens in the same concretion! Cheers, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlehead Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 What I think can be demonstrated from observing Paleozoic shark egg cases is that egg cases of the same species come in two forms. Which I believe are produced by hatched or unhatched eggs. Andrew is correct they hatch from the beak or tendril end, which is where your anomaly is. But what appears to happen is the baby shark pushes open the sutures at the beak causing the beak to expand. Unhatched eggs have an unbroken straight sides from the tendril to the body. Hatched eggs have an added angle from the opened sutures and expansion of the beak. The pictures are two examples of Palaeoxyris prendelli the left is a hatched verses the unhatched at the right. Keith, Of course you can post your fertile fern (Crenulopteris mazoniana) picture. In February it will be on found on page 96 as Fig. 9. Thanks for donating it. Hope this clears up matters, Jack 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roby Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) The Palaeoxyris prendelli I found this fall near Georgetown, IL, looked to me as nearing maturity. The shape was too uniform to have been hatched. Is my assumption valid? What I got from Andrew was, it is a fertile Stellatheca ornata fern. When you have a chance please confirm so I can post it correctly. Thanks for your input! Edited January 4, 2020 by Roby 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Great find and you have to love it when you have multiple fossils in on concretion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 not bad as new entry outstanding specimen, shark and ray eggcases are among my preferred fossils Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I’ve got battle scars from ivy ridge! Exquisite fossil! Welcome aboard, finally! Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Welcome aboard. That is indeed a spectacular specimen. I've never seen those two species in the same concrection, let alone one that also has plant matter also. I would venture to say that this specimen is unique. I'm not convinced that the egg case is multiplicatum, though. The number of bands, their angle and width . . . . something seems off. Of course, I'm probably wrong. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred97 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 All I can really say is, wow! So cool - thanks for posting!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 On 1/4/2020 at 10:40 AM, fiddlehead said: This is one the best examples of Palaeoxyris multiplicatum I have seen. Unfortunately it is broken and at least two of the outer bands have cracked off from the surface. But it is still remarkably complete. Unlike other Palaezoic shark egg cases, P. multiplicatum had a rigid body which had at least 2 ridgid layers that cracked when compressed. It is my opinion that the material at the top right is unlikely to be from the shark emerging. There is only one known example of a shark clearly emerging from the egg case. It is a Bandringa rayi and the egg case is a Palaeoxyris prendelli. This is a different egg case species, but a baby or young shark has very little structure and is little more than a color differential on the rock. The anomaly near the beak is most likely a piece is of the broken egg case which is very commonly found with this species of egg case. For further information I made a website dealing with the Mazon Creek shark eggs: http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/978 Hope that helps, Jack Do you have a ref for the Bandringa rayi/Palaeoxyris prendelli association? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 On 1/4/2020 at 3:16 PM, Roby said: The Palaeoxyris prendelli I found this fall near Georgetown, IL, looked to me as nearing maturity. The shape was too uniform to have been hatched. Is my assumption valid? What I got from Andrew was, it is a fertile Stellatheca ornata fern. When you have a chance please confirm so I can post it correctly. Thanks for your input! That is a nice one and big too! I also found a Palaeoxyris prendelli near Georgetown, but mine is much smaller and incomplete. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now