moodorf Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) This was a pretty awesome find, I found it in sandbank/exposed riverbed in a remote location alongside the Genesee River here in NY, USA Also, in the cavitation where this animal burrowed, right at the "tail" of it there are these....coarse red-black hairs. Now, I washed this rock/scrubbed it thoroughly 2 times before I realized they were there...and they're still there. So they seem to be...penetrating the rock?...maybe these hairs are from this creature?? They appear no where else on the fossil. Kind of a long shot but maybe. Edited August 10, 2021 by moodorf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Welcome to the Forum. This block looks like Middle Devonian material. 387-382 Million years of age, give or take. I see rugose "horn" corals, some gastropod molds, some possible shell imprints/molds, and the large Favosites type coral on the top. Not seeing any creatures with tails. Or Hair. The hairs could be something that lodged in the rock from the creek it was found in. But there were no hairy critters there back then. Critters with tails that were around at that time were fish. Maybe the ancient ancestors of amphibians and reptiles. The "Tail" like feature looks like a worn coral to me, but I cannot see enough detail to make a definite ID. All in all, still a cool fossil with some diverse signs of life on it. 2 1 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...
Fossildude19 Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 5 3 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...
moodorf Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) wow, thanks for that informative post! I talked to a geology professor at my local Suny college about this about some other rocks I had collected, and she's agreed to take a look at them. I'll bring this to her, and see what she thinks of it (although, maybe it's more of a biology question...? hmm) You're very possibly right about the creature being a coral, but I still think it's a creature. I'm sorry, I should have posted the most clear/in focus pics I have of it: oh, and the hairs, yeah they fell out over time so they weren't as embedded as I thought. Could have been from anywhere, really. Edited August 10, 2021 by moodorf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainefossils Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) I agree with @Fossildude19, this looks like a coral. I'm interested to hear what the geology professor will say. Do you happen to know what formation this is from, and maybe you could include scale? Regards, Asher Edited August 10, 2021 by Mainefossils 1 The more I learn, the more I find that I know nothing. Regards, Asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Trilo Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) I completely agree with Tim's IDs. you really do have a nice group of diverse species on that one rock. I am not aware of any creatures like the one you outlined in the Devonian and I believe it to be some sort of coral like Tim said. The preservation in this rock holds fossils with hard shells. Think about at the beach how corals, and shells are all hard when compared to a larger animal with eyes and a mouth. A softer animal like that would preserve flat and not three dimensional. Like the pyritized Triarthrus trilobites from New York, the soft parts like the antennae and legs are preserved and the fossils are flat unlike most other trilobite locations. New York has a lot of lovely Paleozoic fossils and if you keep looking and do more research about certain areas you may find a eurypterid or trilobite or other cool critter. Edited August 10, 2021 by Top Trilo 3 “If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit) "No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard) "With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane) "We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues) "I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus) “The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger) "it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19) "Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Still convinced it is a coral. photos are still blurry, but ... 1 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...
moodorf Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Mainefossils said: I agree with @Fossildude19, this looks like a coral. I'm interested to hear what the geology professor will say. Do you happen to know what formation this is from, and maybe you could include scale? Regards, Asher I'm not sure what you mean by formation? It's from the Genesee River here in Western NY, USA. A really old river valley that becomes a canyon/state park a few miles downstream of where I found this. I found this in a sandbank/exposed riverbed. Edited August 10, 2021 by moodorf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 5 minutes ago, moodorf said: I'm not sure what you mean by formation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_formation 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodorf Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) Ok so I saw a lot of cut banks, and I found this in a river deposition full of a ton of sedimentary rocks and quite a few concretions. Some other less interesting coral fossils too (I think I used the right terminology there ;P ) Edited August 10, 2021 by moodorf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Next, find a bedrock geology map of New York state, locate where your item was found and compare against the legend. This should give you the geologic age and possibly formation. From there, you can research what fossils appear in said age and formation, comparing against your own find. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodorf Posted August 11, 2021 Author Share Posted August 11, 2021 (edited) On this geological map I'm looking at, It says here it's age it's "Upper Devonian". In fact, if I'm reading this right, many of the formations in western NY are devonian age. Still working on an ID. EDIT: ok, if this is some sort of fish and not a coral, it's some sort of Placoderm. This is only from some persistent googling and amateur-at-best guesswork It's the most similar thing from the devonian I'm seeing. It would be a very small example of one too....hmmm.... What I'll do is when I present this to the Geologist, I won't tell them what I think it is/isn't, so as not to bias them one way or the other (towards either coral/animal) That'll get me the objective answer I want. Edited August 11, 2021 by moodorf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 Placoderms had a body covered in armor plates. Many had tails that were NOT covered in armor, so in many instances, what was fossilized was just the body armor/head shields. I would temper your enthusiasm (which is commendable!) with realistic expectations. Soft body fossils are extremely rare. EDIT: Upper Devonian = 384-360 MYA. 3 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...
Kane Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 13 hours ago, moodorf said: What I'll do is when I present this to the Geologist, I won't tell them what I think it is/isn't, so as not to bias them one way or the other (towards either coral/animal) That'll get me the objective answer I want. Just FYI, corals are animals, but just of a sessile variety. 2 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 13 hours ago, moodorf said: .... ok, if this is some sort of fish and not a coral, it's some sort of Placoderm. This is only from some persistent googling and amateur-at-best guesswork It's the most similar thing from the devonian I'm seeing. It would be a very small example of one too....hmmm.... To put it most simply, "NO". When you are searching for an ID of an unknown fossil, always use the principle of parsimony. "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 13 hours ago, moodorf said: That'll get me the objective answer I want. Just FYI - Our answers here are objective, too. 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...
moodorf Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 (edited) Btw, here's all the best stuff I've found in this spot all in one place: and I found this guy today Edited August 13, 2021 by moodorf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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