Devonian Fish: I Think

[Sharpie443]

this came out of the fossil bed in Pa that I always hunt at. Only fish I've ever seen there if it is a fish. It looks like a spine of something.

[Auspex]

Given the preservational characteristics of the matrix, I wouldn't rule out it's being a trackway.

Here is an image search result; compare your find to some of the ones shown: LINK

[Scylla]

Plant, cone like part maybe, how big is it?

[GerryK]

Looks like a worn section through a Nautiloid.

[Malcolmt]

Definately 100% is a string of fish vertebra.

[Fossildude19]

I am unconvinced that this is fish vertebra.

I like the idea of weirdly eroded/cross sectioned cephalopod.

Can we have some pics with brighter light and something for scale??

Regards,

[squalicorax]

Looks like a Cephalopod here. The siphuncle is even present due to the weathering. Looks like it is associated with a brachiopod.

Edited July 13, 2012 by squalicorax

[Malcolmt]

In the first picture the double box pattern of the with the ribs arching out to the left of the screen sure looks like fish veretebra to me

[Fossildude19]

Any information from the OP on where in PA this was found, and what formation found in?

Also I think we need some determination of size.

I do see what you're saying Malcolm.

But I think it may be due to erosion of the siphuncle, rather than actual shape of a bone.

Looks like possibly some pyritization going on in that area there too.

Not 100% positive, but most of the Devonian fishes that I have seen have been mostly scales or armored bits and pieces, rather than bone/skeleton preserved.

If this were bone preservation we were seeing, I would think it would be fairly rare. I'm just going with what statistically would be more likely - and by what I am seeing (based on my experiences), in this fossil. I could be totally wrong, though. It's been known to happen.

It would be interesting to see what a museum would say about it.

Regards,

EDIT: Knowing where it was found would give us a better idea of the faunal list of the area - and what could be expected to be found there.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Fossildude19

[erose]

I'm chiming in for straight cephalopod. One of my first fossils was similar and for years I was sure it was vertebrae.

[FossilDAWG]

My vote is for nautiloid.

Don

[Sharpie443]

I'll make a video on it with more information. My vidio camra is higher definition than me still camra.

[squalicorax]

What county was it found in?

[Sharpie443]

What county was it found in?

The united states in western Pennsylvania.

[Shamalama]

But what county in Pennsylvania. Don't worry, we are not going to try and find your spot, we just want to narrow down the geologic layer. Western PA is mostly Pennsylvanian but if you go a little east you get Mississippian and Devonian.

[Sharpie443]

But what county in Pennsylvania. Don't worry, we are not going to try and find your spot, we just want to narrow down the geologic layer. Western PA is mostly Pennsylvanian but if you go a little east you get Mississippian and Devonian.

It's Erie County and I'm not worried about someone finding my spot. The road isn't even on the map so good luck to anyone who wants to try. I just didn't know how specific you wanted me to get.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Sharpie443

[Xiphactinus]

Another vote for cephalopod. I don't see anything that looks fishy. If any vertebrate, I'd say amphibian, but I don't see much of that there either.

[Shamalama]

Ok, Erie is mostly Devonian aged rocks. I'd say Cephalopod also. It just doesn't look fishy to me.

[Sharpie443]

Ok, Erie is mostly Devonian aged rocks. I'd say Cephalopod also. It just doesn't look fishy to me.

ok here is a video of it and a few other things including a video of the place i find the fossils at.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFS5O_dTaUY&feature=youtu.be

Edited July 13, 2012 by Auspex

[Sharpie443]

Any information from the OP on where in PA this was found, and what formation found in?

Also I think we need some determination of size.

I do see what you're saying Malcolm.

But I think it may be due to erosion of the siphuncle, rather than actual shape of a bone.

Looks like possibly some pyritization going on in that area there too.

Not 100% positive, but most of the Devonian fishes that I have seen have been mostly scales or armored bits and pieces, rather than bone/skeleton preserved.

If this were bone preservation we were seeing, I would think it would be fairly rare. I'm just going with what statistically would be more likely - and by what I am seeing (based on my experiences), in this fossil. I could be totally wrong, though. It's been known to happen.

It would be interesting to see what a museum would say about it.

Regards,

EDIT: Knowing where it was found would give us a better idea of the faunal list of the area - and what could be expected to be found there.

Take a look at the video I linked and maybe you can make heads or tails of it. I actually took it to the Cleavland natural history museum but the guy who dues that kind of thing was out that day. I probably should have called first.

[Fossildude19]

Nice video - you have a great area to hunt in.

Yup, still sticking with cephalopod on your item posted here.

In the video - I think your second item is just a rock.

The big slab with all the circular fossils appears to be many internal molds of brachiopod fossils - very nice.

I see also many Spiriferid brachiopods, and possibly some pelecypods.

Keep hunting! You're bound to find some really cool stuff there - possibilities of gastropods and crinoids as well as the other wide variety of ancient sea floor fauna. Maybe even trilobites!

Regards,

[trilobiteruss]

I agree that it looks like a nautiloid cephalopod...

[Shamalama]

Thanks for posting the video. It has convinced me that your mystery fossils is indeed a cephalopod. When you detach the camera and show the entire fossil you can see that the edges of the fossil narrow as they extend to the right in the rock. That is very indicative of an orthoconic cephalopod like Michelinoceras or Spyroceras.

Your ravine looks like it belongs in a rain forest! I agree with fossilcrazy that the larger brachiopod covered slabs are mostly Leiorhynchids but there may be some pelecypods in there as well. Likely looking at a literal piece of the seafloor as there does not appear to be much overlap or jumbling of shells that would be indicative of a storm deposit. It's nice that you have some shell material preserved too. Most all the rest of the fossils are internal molds.

At 7:23 minutes you show a spirifer shell that may be a Cyrtospirifer sp.

At 8:00 minutes the piece you show is a storm bed deposit and is indicative of the waxing and waning of the seashore in the upper Devonian.

All in all you have a very nice fossil exposure to explore there!

[Carl]

I, too, definitely vote for cephalopod.