Roby Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 This middle Pennsylvanian concretion from Mazon Creek (Francis Creek Shale), was discovered in the fall of 2013 in the Mazon Creek Heritage Site. Whip Scorpion Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Uropygi Geralinura sp. 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalodus12 Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Wonderful find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carboniferouspat Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Very cool. Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Great stuff My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 @RCFossils 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...
deutscheben Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 How many more stunning Mazon Creek fossils do you have? This one is incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stats Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Nice one! @deutscheben he has a bunch of nice ones! Cheers, Rich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 That is fantastic!! I didn't know fossil vinegaroons were even a thing. (Now I'm afraid I might need one, better check my pockets for change ) I actually keep one as a pet, so I declare this as the first ever Hobbes approved thread. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 This shows that you don't need the 3+ inch perfectly round concretion for an amazing find!! Thanks for sharing with us! I hate to be that guy, but aren't whip scorpions order uropygi not scorpionida? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roby Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 Older books things change so I not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 5 hours ago, TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory said: I hate to be that guy, but aren't whip scorpions order uropygi not scorpionida? This is true. 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...
FossilDAWG Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 5 hours ago, TheRocksWillShoutHisGlory said: I hate to be that guy, but aren't whip scorpions order uropygi not scorpionida? You are correct. The major difference is that uropygids do not have a stinging telson (the last segment of the abdomen). They are sometimes called "vinegaroons" because they can secrete acetic acid as a defense. I used to see them on my back porch in Tucson, where they were catching and eating native cockroaches. Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 Spectacular specimen! But how did you find out this is a whip scorpion? The fossil does not seem to preserve the part where either the "whip" or "scorpion tail" should be... what details am I missing? Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 3 hours ago, paleoflor said: Spectacular specimen! But how did you find out this is a whip scorpion? The fossil does not seem to preserve the part where either the "whip" or "scorpion tail" should be... what details am I missing? Actually the whip is not the only defining trait. Whip scorpions are not scorpions at all and are actually more closely related to spiders hence the body segmentation and overall shape are quite different. Here's a picture of a true scorpion, as you can see the body is more of a smooth continuous shape that tapers in towards the tail. A whip scorpion on the other hand has a distinct thorax and abdomen that do not create a smooth continuous line. Also in Roby's specimen towards the top you can see the base of the tail is preserved. That base, which the 'whip' protrudes from is what the animal uses to release its acetic acid and is not present on true scorpions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 @Huntonia don't vinegaroons also have spiny crushing appendages instead of claws and two of their legs are modified for feeling around their environment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, Misha said: @Huntonia don't vinegaroons also have spiny crushing appendages instead of claws and two of their legs are modified for feeling around their environment? Yes they do. They're mostly blind and typically live in caves, burrows or other dark places. Hence they depend on sensing vibrations in order to find prey, and avoid predators. Their front legs are modified to sense vibrations and to feel around their environment. It's quite fascinating to watch them tapping around at the ground, kind of like a blind man's walking stick. The 'whip' is also a sensory organ, it's covered in lots of tiny hairs that sense vibrations in the air. They do have claws but their arms are shorter and bulkier than scorpions, the actual claws are small and down't get much use but they are needed for grabbing prey. They have spiky crushing plates on their inner arms that they use once they have their prey to both restrain it during feeding and to crush it as necessary to consume. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 paleoflor meant probably the imprint could be of earwig or something more common My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Were we looking for an ID since this is in the identification section? Did these originate as tiny concretions or were they trimmed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 If this ID is correct, this is an extraordinarily rare specimen. I vote for donation to a museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 The ID you have is incorrect not only is it in uropygi but eoscorpius is a scorpion. This looks like geralinura 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Yes, this is definitely a nice example of Geralinura. They are very rare in the Mazon Creek Deposit. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roby Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Thanks RCfossil, too late to update to Geralinura. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 12 minutes ago, Roby said: Thanks RCfossil, too late to update to Geralinura. How can it be too late to change a label? Do you no longer have the specimen? Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roby Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 No, sorry I mean update the post. Edit link is no longer available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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