Dorset fossil hunting trip

[Pterygotus]

So recently I took a trip to the Jurassic coast in the nearby county of Dorset and I decided to share it with you and record it which I haven’t done before. The location I chose was Bathonian, Jurassic and was the Forest Marble formation. I’m sorry if my fossils seem a bit crude because I haven’t cleaned all the rock off them yet. Most of the fossils in this location are found by either processing the rock or looking on the big limestone boulders which are crammed full of brachiopods and bivalves. As I said, there are plenty of shells but the eventual vertebrate remains do turn up. Particularly sharks, fish, reptiles, amphibians and I know that this location is famous for its mammal remains. 
 

Here is a picture looking towards Eype and Thorncombe Beacon and I think that’s Seatown, Charmouth and Lyme in the distance .

[Pterygotus]

The first find of the day was this strange knobbly thing which I think is some sort of fossil wood, bone fragment or a coprolite. Here is a pic I took of it at home .

[Pterygotus]

The first major find of the day is what I know think to be a turtle or croc scute. This is my first scute find and any identification would be well appreciated. When I first found I thought it was some sort of hybodont tooth. This is what it looked like when I first found it. 

[Pterygotus]

And this is when I got it out of the rock. The rock seems to vary a lot on my trips. Sometimes it’s really hard but this time it crumbled at touch. Either way, it always seems to result in a breakage or maybe I’m just trying to find an excuse... 

 

After that I got my hammer and started smashing apart the surface of the rock and crumbled the matrix with my hands. It resulted in a rather nice brachiopod and a nice fish tooth. I’m sorry about my photography skills. I’ll try to take better photos.

[Pterygotus]

[Pterygotus]

[Pterygotus]

Here are the final finds of the day, on a huge boulder, I found two really nice fish scales.
 

Edit: one that didn’t make it wasn’t a fish scale.

 

And here are some pics taken at home. Sadly only one of them survived.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Pterygotus

[Pterygotus]

On the whole, I didn’t find much but I brought back a lot of matrix to process so I’ll post regular updates. Here’s a fossil group photo .Hope you enjoy!

[Pterygotus]

 

 Sorry I had to fit it into so many replies. The photos were to big to put into one reply.

 

[Pterygotus]

Oh yes, and here is a picture to show how fossiliferous the limestone is 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, very nice area. 

I recently acquired several brachiopods from this area. 

The 'fish scale' that did not survive extraction is a squashed terebratulid, I think.

Your more complete brachiopod is the rhynchonellid Goniorhynchia boueti, I think. 

[Pterygotus]

1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Yes, very nice area. 

I recently acquired several brachiopods from this area. 

The 'fish scale' that did not survive extraction is a squashed terebratulid, I think.

Your more complete brachiopod is the rhynchonellid Goniorhynchia boueti, I think. 

Thanks, the ‘fish scale’ has been corrected. 

[Pterygotus]

1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Yes, very nice area. 

I recently acquired several brachiopods from this area. 

The 'fish scale' that did not survive extraction is a squashed terebratulid, I think.

Your more complete brachiopod is the rhynchonellid Goniorhynchia boueti, I think. 

I could be wrong but doesn’t goniorhynchia boueti have the sort of curve in its shell as shown here?

[Tidgy's Dad]

You mean yours has no fold and sulcus in the commissure? 

[Pterygotus]

1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

You mean yours has no fold and sulcus in the commissure? 

Yes, sorry.

I have zero knowledge in brachiopod anatomy 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Like many species, it can be highly variable in morphology and the younger ones may exhibit less, if any, of a fold. 

Or it could be just a part of the valve, without the commisure area.

Or another species entirely....................

[Pterygotus]

Here are the fossils cleaned up and repaired  Can’t wait to get started on the micro fossil matrix. Anyone know what the scute thing is?