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Fossil Contributions to Paleontology - The Gallery


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Welcome to a very special gallery topic! It will be exclusively dedicated to fossil specimens our members have contributed to the science of Paleontology! Their fascinating stories will be found elsewhere within this new forum. However, the posts in this Pinned topic will serve as a visual reference for those fossils our members have donated to further research in science-based museums and universities. So, let's get started.

Please follow the format and guidelines below when posting in this topic:

Common or Scientific Name.


Geologic Formation or Geologic Age.


Region the fossil was found.


Museum or University that received the fossil.


A short note explaining the reason for the fossil contribution. Please include a link to the topic about your fossil (if available).


(attach your fossil photos here)

 

 

Please use the linked topics (or the PM system) to continue any discussion or congratulations.

 

Your fossil donation to the science of paleontology will be recognized by The Fossil Forum with this icon under your avatar:

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Thank you for sharing your fossil contributions. :)

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Hi everyone! I have been asked to lead this off, as an example of the gallery format.

Endocranial Cavity of an Osteichthyan Braincase

Pennsylvanian Period/Bridgeport Shale

Wise County, Texas

American Museum of Natural History (New York)

Contributed for study. Link to post here http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/25293-endocranial-cavity-pennsylvanian-age-fish/?hl=%2Bendocranial+%2Bcavity

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Welcome to the forum!

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Urenchlys abditus (Eel)

Smoky Hill Chalk

Gove County, KS

Sternberg Museum of Natural History (Hays, Kansas)

Reason for contribution:

This was only the second eel fossil ever discovered from the Cretaceous of Kansas and was far more complete than original specimen.

Link: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/15676-kansas-eel-fossil/?hl=kansas

FHSM VP-17591

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Edited by KansasFossilHunter
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Quadrate bone - Tropicbird - Heliadornis ashbyi

Middle Miocene - Calvert Formation

Calvert County, Maryland

Smithsonian Institution

This was the first cranial element reported for this species and so was contributed for study.

Link to post here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/45746-unknown-bone-calvert-cliffs

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Edited by obsessed1
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I've contributed a few fossils over the years for various purposes, but I'll start with this one, since I'm so proud of it.

Stenodactylina rogerfurzei n. sp.

Middle Jurassic, Achdorf Formation, Upper Aalenian, Bradfordensis Zone, Staufensis Bank.

Scheffheu, Wutach Valley, Germany.

Stuttgart Museum of Natural History (SMNS)

Chela of a new species discovered. Donated as Holotype. Subject of scientific article in the German Paleontological Journal.

Link: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/34832-whats-in-a-name/?hl=+stenodactylina%20+rogerfurzei

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Edited by Ludwigia
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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Attached are images of a potentially new Permian stem reptile skull found and donated in 2005.

Dolese Richard's Spur Quarry north of Lawton, OK

Permian Cave Deposits, Admiral Formation equivalent

Donated to Noble Museum, Norman, OK....specimen currently being studied at the University of Toronto by Dr. Richard Reisz

Tentative new taxon Acroleter woehri, but this may not hold up if the specimen is determined to be a more complete example of a species already named from fragments.

A paper has been written on this specimen by Froebisch and Reisz describing one of the earliest known cases of insectivory (insect diet) based on cockroach antennae adhered to the skull's palate. See link below.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2827974/

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Edited by danwoehr
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Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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Codiopsis sp. nov. - description pending

Corsicana Formation, Maastrichtian, South Texas

Type specimens (2) accessioned by Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and being studied by George Phillips, Paleo Curator of the museum

I've found maybe 15 of these specimens while the site was huntable between 2005 and 2013. Other than one specimen found by Keith Minor while collecting there with me, I don't know of other examples of this form.

I was fortunate to be able to treat 70-75 collectors to this site over time, some many times, and all proved to be respectful of the site. I guided personnel from Smithsonian, MMNS, and the Brazosport Museum to this site, and collaborated with/donated to University of Southern Florida and Emory University.

This site was the best of all worlds - varied fauna affording burgeoning personal collections to family, friends, and academia. I wish I had more sites with this level of rarity, quality, quantity, and variety.

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Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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Undescribed Protosiren

Late Eocene - Ocala Limestone

Marianna, Florida

Florida Museum of Natural History (UF)

This mandible represents one of the most complete cranial elements of this genus from Florida's Eocene. Preparation is still being completed on this specimen. Donated: February 14, 2014 Prep. photos: March 21, 2014

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/44146-brooks-quarry/?hl=brooks

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Edited by calhounensis
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Undescribed crab in the family Aethridae

Lower Miocene (Burdigalien) Chipola Formation, Calhoun County, Florida

Represents a family not reported from the Chipola and probably a new species. Also the most complete crab carpace found to date in the Chipola.

Donated March 3, 2014 to Florida Museum of Natural History UF 246320

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Edited by MikeR
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"A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington

"I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain

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A fossil crab - Caloxanthus americanus Rathbun, 1935
Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Grayson Formation
Found in Waco, Texas - U.S.A. on June 9, 2013
Contributed to the Nonvertebrate Paleontology Lab (University of Texas at Austin, Texas)

"The specimen includes morphological details not previously described for this species. In particular, the preservation of the eye structure is remarkable and it represents one of the few records of composite eye preservation in fossil brachyurans."

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Nov. gen. nov. sp. Bournelyreidus teodorii VAN BAKEL, GUINOT, ARTAL, FRAAIJE & JAGT 2012

Upper Cretaceous (upper maastrichtian)

Found in Haute Garonne, southwest France

Donated in 2010 to MNHN of Paris

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Pycnodont plate with teeth

Cretaceous Upper Greenhorn Limestone

Found in Central Kansas

Donated due to unusually large size and rarity

FHSM VP-16865

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For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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I didn't actually donate this item, but I did find it and called in some experts. I helped with the extraction.

You can read about it here. www.oceansofkansas.co/FtHaysPtychodus.html

You can also google "Giant Kansas Shark" and a bunch of news articles will come up about it (must have been a slow news week)

If someone wants to post some links here they can, I can't do it with my server.

Ptychodus mortoni

Fort Hays Limestone

Donated due to the fact that it is the Earliest occurance of Ptychodus mortoni. (that and it was in a super hard limestone and I mistakenly thought a bunch of graduate students would come up and get it so I wouldn't have to work to hard)

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For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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Polycotylid Plesiosaur

FHSM VP-16459

Fort Hays Limestone

Donated because it is only the 3rd reptile discovered in the Fort Hays Limestone.

You can go here www.oceansofkansas.com/FHSM_VP-16459.html for a bunch of photos I didn't have a digital camera back when this was found.

Here is a field sketch.

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For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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Pennsylvanian insect wing

Lycodus garretti (new genus/new species)

Lawrence Shale Formation, Douglas County, KS.

Insect wing discovered while a student at University of Kansas. The fossil was one of the last fossils examined and described by the great Frank Carpenter of Harvard University. He named the species name in our honor.

Fossil now curated at University of Kansas specimen numbers 224077a, 224077b

http://psyche.entclub.org/pdf/99/99-141.pdf

Edited by Xiphactinus
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Dinosaur tail vertebra

Niobrarasaurus coelii

Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk Fm., Trego County, Kansas

Found by my wife (lucky!) making her the first woman to find a dino bone in Kansas.

Donated to the Sternberg Museum as they house the world's collection of Niobrarasaurs bones, so that's where this needed to go as well. Specimen number VP-17229

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http://oceansofkansas.com/Dinosaur.html

Edited by Xiphactinus
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Fossil sawfish rostrum & associated rostrals (Ischyrhiza mira Leidy)

Ripley Fm., Selma Group, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Lowndes Co., Alabama

American Museum of Natural History, New York (s012)

Donated for study via Carl Mehling. Subject of a poster (author Carl Mehling, et. al.) presented at the 2012 SVP Annual Meeting.

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Chondrichthyan braincase (possibly sawfish)

Ripley Fm., Selma Group, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Lowndes Co., AL

American Museum of Natural History, New York (2012)

Donated for study via Carl Mehling and Dr. John Maisey.

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Associated marine turtle bones (Ctenochylys sp. (?))

Ripley Fm., Selma Group, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Lowndes Co., AL

Alabama Museum of Natural History (2005); collections no. PV2005.0009.0001-.0016

Donated for study via Dr. Ed Hooks. 16 associated bones (plastrons, pelvis, ribs, periferals).

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Emileia contrahens

Ovale Zone, Wedelsandstein Formation, Lower Bajocian, Middle Jurassic.

Wutach Valley, Germany.

Stuttgart Museum of Natural History (SMNS)

Donated for study. It represents the stratigraphically oldest record of the Genus Emileia in Germany and one of the oldest records worldwide.

http://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/11989/1/zitteliana_2010_50_06.pdf

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Bathrotomatia amyntas (D'Orbigny 1856)?

Geisingen Oolite, Achdorf Formation, Upper Aalenian, Middle Jurassic.

Geisingen a.d.Donau, B.- W., Germany

Stuttgart Museum of Natural History (SMNS)

http://www.palmuc.de/bspg/images/stories/zitteliana/5_Gruendel%20.pdf

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Donated along with two other gastropodes for a scientific study, one of which had to remain in the museum. I got the other ones back, though.

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Pleurotomaria rotundata Amphitrochus n.sp.

Edited by Ludwigia
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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Some of my donations in the name of science:

Edrioasteroid, Multiplexidiscus mckenziensis, from the late Silurian McKenzie formation Central Pennsylvania. Donated to researchers Carlton Brett and Colin Sumerall.

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Brown Alga, Manitobia lesquerevxi, from the late Silurian Williamsville formation, Bertie group in Fort Erie, Ontario. Donated to the Royal Ontario Museum.

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Fish tooth whorl of Onychodus sigmoides, from the early Devonian Union Springs formation at Jamesville, NY. Donated to the Paleontological Research Institute.

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Hydrozoan, Plumalina plumaria, from the late Devonian Chemung group, Almond, NY. Donated to the Royal Ontario Museum.

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Conodont Animal of undetermined Genus and Species, from the early Silurian Eramosa formation at Wiarton, Ontario. Donated to the Royal Ontario Museum.

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I have donated a grand total of 2 items to science so far.

#1 a Pycnodont (fish) tooth or jaw section(?)

Santonian, Haslam Formation,

Nanaimo, V.I., B.C.

I could not tell what it was so I took it to the Royal BC Museum. It was not very impressive to me so I didn't think to take a pic of it before donating. It was a small piece of bone material with a serrated edge (teeth) inside a concretion I broke in half. They ID'd it as the above and asked me to donate it, which I did.

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#2, a large Inoceramus sp.

Santonian, Haslam Fm.

Cowichan Valley, V.I., B.C.

I found on a small muni works/dump site not far from me. I don't know where it ended up: I gave it to a member of the Victoria Paleo Soc. and from there it was supposed to go to Jim Haggart of the GSC in Vancouver who was going to do a study/revision of Inoceramids. I have not heard anything about it since. I hope it ends up in the RBCM if it isn't already, or one of the other 2 Island museums. If I ever learn of its whereabouts I will update this.

Here is the Ino were found and at home:

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Edited by Auspex
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Claire01 recently donated some wonderful ?crustacean coprolite masses to the AMNH. Thanks, Claire!

?Crustacean coprolite masses

Cenomanian Eagle Ford Formation
North Central Texas
Now in American Museum of Natural History's Fossil Invertebrate collections
Claire was generous enough to contribute to our growing coprolite collections!

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Crab nodules & prepared crab (Avitelmessus grapsoides)

Ripley Formation, Selma Group, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Lowndes Co., Alabama

American Museum of Natural History (2012)

Donated as collections specimens via Carl Mehling; 4 unprepared crab nodules and 1 prepared crab. Photo courtesy of Carl Mehling.

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