Ammonite Hunting in Yorkshire

[Welsh Wizard]

Picked up this double ammonite block from a mate yesterday. Found at Sandsend near Whitby last year. I started the prep and then struggled a bit so gave it to a professional. 
 

 

The ammonites are Cleviceras exaratum on the left and Hildaites murleyei on the right. Whilst the Hildaites isn’t complete, it is a very rare ammonite from Yorkshire.

 

The ammonites are 3 inches and 2 inches respectively.

[Welsh Wizard]

Found yesterday on the holderness coast. A small Amauaroceras sp. Another rare ammonite. The ammonite is 1 cm in diameter 

 

 

 

[Welsh Wizard]

A partial oxynoticeras simpsoni.

 

Really pleased with this as they are pretty rare in Yorkshire and it’s only my second one. Great sutures on this one.

 

[Welsh Wizard]

An interesting one. 
 

I was tidying up my waste pile that’s accumulated over a number of years and I found a few poor quality ammonites that I decided to prep.

 

At first glance this one looks like a poor quality common dactylioceras from near Whitby.

 

 

When cleaning, a bit of shell popped off revealing a small lobster in the outside whorl. You can see one of its claws in the picture. 

 

 

 

 

From discussions with an expert on fossil lobsters, this is the first example of a lower Lias lobster in an ammonite shell.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

20 minutes ago, Welsh Wizard said:

From discussions with an expert on fossil lobsters, this is the first example of a lower Lias lobster in an ammonite shell.

 

That's very cool! Are you table to tell whether the lobster washed in there? Or are we to understand it as some early kind of hermit crab?

[Welsh Wizard]

9 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

 

That's very cool! Are you table to tell whether the lobster washed in there? Or are we to understand it as some early kind of hermit crab?

Hi Alexander

 

Im not sure. The plan is to get someone to look at it and decide whether to try and prep further or CT scan. 
 

There are a few example of this but none from lower lias.

 

Nick

[JohnJ]

@MB @caterpillar

[caterpillar]

It's not a hermit crab. It is just the chance of the fossilization which placed this piece of lobster in the chamber of the ammonite.

As often we find small shells inside the big ones

[Welsh Wizard]

7 hours ago, caterpillar said:

It's not a hermit crab. It is just the chance of the fossilization which placed this piece of lobster in the chamber of the ammonite.

As often we find small shells inside the big ones

 
@caterpillar. Thanks for the reply. Looks like two claws showing side by side. I guess we won’t know until it’s prepped or scanned. I’ll let you know as things progress.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Welsh Wizard

[caterpillar]

Thank you

[RJB]

A really interesting thread.  Some nice stuff here.  Love the multi and looking forward to seeing that finished.  Best of luck

 

RB

[Welsh Wizard]

5 hours ago, RJB said:

A really interesting thread.  Some nice stuff here.  Love the multi and looking forward to seeing that finished.  Best of luck

 

RB

Thankyou. The multi block is slow going. It’s really hard rock and the fossils are a lot softer.

[Welsh Wizard]

Small arnioceras sp. cluster (I think), prepped the other day. Very sticky and hard matrix.

 

 

 

[MB]

There are some examples of shrimps or lobster found in the chamber of ammonites, let me see the reference.

But here also true hermit crabs reported from the Pliensbaquian, but regarding the size of the chela and the ammonite, it could be a case of protection or why not a case of predation. Cephalopods ate crustaceans.

 

 

[Welsh Wizard]

Back in Yorkshire. Weathers great. Been finding a few rare ammonites.

 

Looking across to Robin Hoods Bay

 

 

Seal colony at Ravenscar 

 

 

Whitby Harbour at night

 

 

View from Whitby harbour at high tide

 

 

Liparoceras. Very rare for Yorkshire and I’ve never found one before, so I’m really pleased.

 

 

 

[Welsh Wizard]

Androgynoceras (probably maculatum)

 

Found loose circa 2 inch

 

 

In nodule, circa 3 inch. Should prep nicely

 

[Welsh Wizard]

Grammoceras thourense split multi block.

 

 

Three multiblocks to prep. If you zoom in, you can see grammoceras ammonites sticking out.

 

 

[Welsh Wizard]

A visit to Saltwick Bay today. Photo shows the wreck of The Kronprinz Wilhelm with the cliffs of the lower Jurassic in the background.

 

We only picked up a few things as shown in the picture.

 

A couple will prep nicely and the others are in the box to give away.

 

Photo shows three dactylioceras commune, a hildoceras sp, and what is probably a catacoeloceras sp.

 

[jpc]

great stuff here... but I was curious about the shipwreck.  Wikipedia says the The Kronprinz Wilhelm was decommissioned by the US in 1919.  Are you sure this is that ship? 

[Welsh Wizard]

39 minutes ago, jpc said:

great stuff here... but I was curious about the shipwreck.  Wikipedia says the The Kronprinz Wilhelm was decommissioned by the US in 1919.  Are you sure this is that ship? 

Ha. Should’ve checked got my ships mixed up. It’s the Admiral Von Tramp. Thanks

[Everhardus]

Nice, love to get there again some time….

[Welsh Wizard]

Sandsend today.

 

 

Looking back towards Whitby. The Abbey is up on the cliff. There is a shipwreck in the foreground, the boilers remain.

[Welsh Wizard]

Best find of the day. A huge harpoceras sp in a nodule. Foot for scale with the two pieces needing glueing prior to prep. Fingers crossed, it should be a good one. The smaller piece is the liparoceras I found the other day

 

 

 

[Welsh Wizard]

First prep from this week. A pyritised nodule and ammonite from Saltwick Bay.

 

Before (when I’d hit it with a hammer)

 

 

After. Using a heavy duty air pen with a chisel tip and then a medium duty one with a stylus.

 

 

Due to the preservation I won’t spend any more time on it. Quite pleased as I nearly left it on the beach.

 

Dactylioceras athleticum or commune, at 9 cm, is pretty large.

[Welsh Wizard]

Finished prepping this out of a larger septarian nodule. Ammonite size is about 2 inches diameter.

 

Catacoleoceras crassum from Saltwick Bay, Whitby. Found 27th October 2022