A bit unusual

[RetiredLawyer]

Found this today. Rock is about 12-14” long. Paleontologist thinks it looks organic but doesn’t know what it is offhand. I’m thinking fossil unicorn, but I could be mistaken. Anyone?

[DPS Ammonite]

Is there any spongy bone in there? If not, maybe it is a burrow/feeding trace fossil.

 

You also might have the only know fossilized Mogollon Monster.

[RetiredLawyer]

19 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Is there any spongy bone in there? If not, maybe it is a burrow/feeding trace fossil.

 

You also might have the only know fossilized Mogollon Monster.

I’m going to look closer tomorrow after it dries out to see if I can see any more detail. And go back to look for more. I found that about half mile away from my other fossil area. 

[Fossildude19]

@dinodigger

[Pemphix]

No organic stuff.

Most likely touchdown mark, maybe of bones or wood.

Could be burrows, too but not very symmetric therefore not so probably imho.

Which formation is it, which paleoenvironment ?

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

That certainly is interesting! Could you tell us what formation it's from, and if possible, the age of the strata?

[RetiredLawyer]

39 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

That certainly is interesting! Could you tell us what formation it's from, and if possible, the age of the strata?

It’s a bit higher up, maybe 50 feet, from the track site I’ve been digging. That’s the Moenkopi, Holbrook member, 240 mya. Spencer Lucas is coming to study that when he can get out of lockdown, so I will know more when that happens.  

[RetiredLawyer]

4 hours ago, Pemphix said:

No organic stuff.

Most likely touchdown mark, maybe of bones or wood.

Could be burrows, too but not very symmetric therefore not so probably imho.

Which formation is it, which paleoenvironment ?

Moenkopi, Holbrook member is where my tracks are but this is higher up by about 50 feet. 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

I was going to link an interesting article on Arazonian Triassic Vertebrae, but I am doubting that this is bone matter. It certainly doesn't seem familiar to me, and I partially agree with the touchdown point from @Pemphix. I'd need to do more research on this topic first, since I specialise in Mesozoic aquatic, not terrestrial life! Good luck for after lockdown!

[RetiredLawyer]

5 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

I was going to link an interesting article on Arazonian Triassic Vertebrae, but I am doubting that this is bone matter. It certainly doesn't seem familiar to me, and I partially agree with the touchdown point from @Pemphix. I'd need to do more research on this topic first, since I specialise in Mesozoic aquatic, not terrestrial life! Good luck for after lockdown!

I doubt it’s actually bone. If anything it’s a positive impression of something that got stuck in the mud. I did find this that looks kind of similar, down near the tracks. 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

23 hours ago, RetiredLawyer said:

I doubt it’s actually bone. If anything it’s a positive impression of something that got stuck in the mud. I did find this that looks kind of similar, down near the tracks. 

I agree. I think you know a lot more about your local specimen than me! If it's worth anything, here is the article. 03AZTRVP.indd (core.ac.uk)

[DPS Ammonite]

On 2/3/2021 at 9:11 PM, RetiredLawyer said:

Found this today. Rock is about 12-14” long. Paleontologist thinks it looks organic but doesn’t know what it is offhand. I’m thinking fossil unicorn, but I could be mistaken. Anyone?

       

See if Lukas says that it is OK for you to make an impression of this with molding compound. Our brains might help us determine what it is if we see it as an impression rather than an impression filling. 
 

You might have to ask for help making an impression since I have never made one.
 

 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

15 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

See if Lukas says that it is OK for you to make an impression of this with molding compound. Our brains might help us determine what it is if we see it as an impression rather than an impression filling. 
 

You might have to ask for help making an impression since I have never made one.
 

 

Now that, my friend, is a very very good idea! I wish I could say I thought of that...

[RetiredLawyer]

1 hour ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Now that, my friend, is a very very good idea! I wish I could say I thought of that...

I will do that. I did go back this morning. Found more of the weird folds and one possible track. And lots of cool mud. 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

Very, very cool! I'm relatively sure that these are positive impressions of bones, due to the overall shapes of them! Looking forward to seeing the casts, please tag me when you do it, I'd love to see!

[jpc]

2 hours ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Now that, my friend, is a very very good idea! I wish I could say I thought of that...

If you take a photo with the light coming from the upper left, you get a nice photo of the specimen, but if then view that photo upside down so the lighting comes from lower right, your brain just might see the indentations as protrudences, so no need to make a mold.  

[RetiredLawyer]

1 minute ago, jpc said:

If you take a photo with the light coming from the upper left, you get a nice photo of the specimen, but if then view that photo upside down so the lighting comes from lower right, your brain just might see the indentations as protrudences, so no need to make a mold.  

Some smart folks on here! I wonder what a negative image would look like. 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

48 minutes ago, jpc said:

If you take a photo with the light coming from the upper left, you get a nice photo of the specimen, but if then view that photo upside down so the lighting comes from lower right, your brain just might see the indentations as protrudences, so no need to make a mold.  

Ahhh, my goodness, very very smart! I am aware of that effect, the name slips my mind now, but that would have never crossed my mind. You absolute genius! 

[jpc]

16 minutes ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Ahhh, my goodness, very very smart! I am aware of that effect, the name slips my mind now, but that would have never crossed my mind. You absolute genius! 

experience often gets confused for genius, but hey... I'll take it!

 

 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

1 minute ago, jpc said:

experience often gets confused for genius, but hey... I'll take it!

Hahaha, yes, take it before I change my mind!