OysterGirl Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Greetings, I am writing a book on the Global History of Oysters and have just begun to learn about various fossilized oyster genus. I found this site by googling, gryphaea and realized I need to chat with others. Unfortunately for me, most of the papers I am researching on the subject are heavily scientifically-based and I'm a mere food writer who hasn't had a science class in two decades. Is there anyone around who wouldn't mind talking (and explaining) to a noob? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Welcome to the Forum This is a different sort of spin on fossils from our usual inquiries; we'll help any way we can! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Not much help here but good luck. Oh and Howdy from Waco, Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OysterGirl Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Well, I found a post of someone who found "Devil's Toenails" in their backyard (sorry, I can't find that thread now). Two hours ago, I didn't even know what that was and I am so intrigued with ones I am seeing for sale on eBay. Looking at eBay, I see lots for sale with different names like: Cretaceouse Oyster Flemingostrea subspatulata, Ceratostreon, TEXIGRYPHEA navia, Pelecypoda and more...Wondering if anyone can refer me to someone who might collect oyster fossils specifically to help me clarify the different types and periods. And thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painshill Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I guess the first step here will be to clarify what you mean by "oyster". True oysters are a family (Ostreidae) which includes many genera (the plural of genus), of which several are known as "edible oysters". There's then a whole bunch of others colloquially known as oysters which do not belong to that family and are not "true oysters", including "pearl oysters" which are actually clams and belong to the family Pteriidae. I guess you want to confine your writing to "edible oysters", although there is potential for confusion in that this doesn't necessarily mean that those others cannot be eaten. 2 Roger I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OysterGirl Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Thanks, Painshill. I will actually have a small section devoted to pearl oysters - mostly to explain their difference and modern non-edible nature. That is why I am curious about the fossils. Being one of the oldest foods consumed, I'm wondering how to learn if some of these extinct genera like Exogyra or the Gryphaea could have been edible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology has an entire volume on fossil oysters. Check your PM (message system) tab in the upper right hand corner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Come to think of it we do have several species of some of the kind you mentioned here in Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OysterGirl Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 Pirahna - the file came through just fine! Now I have some 276 pages to go through... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 One could weave quite a tale about something called "Devil's Toenails" Who says oysters are boring? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painshill Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I don’t think there are any bivalves which are inherently toxic for human consumption so I don’t see any particular reason why Gryphaea or Exogyra would not have been edible. Someone will doubtless pop up after this post naming a species which is inherently toxic but, if so, that would be the exception rather than the rule. The term “edible oyster” is what we call those genera which are commonly harvested/cultivated for consumption. That doesn’t mean that the others can’t be eaten. They may be too small to be worth the effort, unpalatably tough, unpleasantly gritty or have unusual flavours that are not to everyone’s liking but they are nevertheless also edible. When those other species are toxic, it’s usually the result of environmental conditions and/or what the shellfish have been feeding on. Some species are “riskier” than others. Those conditions can nevertheless affect “edible oysters” too. They’re all “filter feeders” and so will accumulate toxins – particularly neurotoxins produced by microscopic algae, diatoms, and cyanobacteria on which they feed. Those toxins are insoluble in water (and so not removed by washing) and heat-stable (so not destroyed by cooking). Oysters also readily accumulate heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium to an extent that very much depends on the quality of the water in which they live. Those kinds of pollutants would also have been present in ancient oceans adjacent to shorelines with rocks naturally rich in those minerals, but are usually from human industrial activity these days. What makes them a health hazard is that (unlike neurotoxins) they are cumulative poisons for humans – the more you eat, the more toxic the effect over a prolonged period because your body doesn’t get rid of them. As for “pearl oysters”, they tend to live or are cultivated in areas where the water is warm and the environmental conditions are not managed in a way that is likely to yield meat suitable for consumption, nor with much consideration for seasonal effects. The flesh is however edible but rather more likely to contain toxins on occasions, as well as being tougher and potentially more gritty. Also, like all such bivalves, they spoil rapidly after death and the pearl industry hasn’t bothered to create an infrastructure for rapid processing of the flesh, which is regarded as a waste product of a more lucrative business that’s easier to manage Shellfish from warmer waters also often contain human pathogens such as Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella enterica which can multiply rapidly after the death of the organism (and are sometimes present at levels which represent a dangerous “infective dose” in living organisms). Analysis of bivalves which remain closed after cooking suggests the old adage that they must be discarded is largely a myth founded on poor science. They seem to be non-toxic… but better safe than sorry, eh? [PS: I’m a Food Science Technologist] 4 Roger I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Here's a link to the only oyster guy I know of. If you come up with an oyster specialist please let me know also. The prices on the Flemingostrea on the web are crazy. They are very common here in SE NC. http://newton.physics.uiowa.edu/~cnewsom/fossils/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OysterGirl Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Thanks for that link, Plax! And, Painshill - I really appreciated your insight! That was invaluable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Who says oysters are boring? Oysters are sessile, clams are sometimes boring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boring_clam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 like the word play tmaier! The retort to someone mentioning a boring clam was always "all clams are boring" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Who here would of guessed 'food science technologist' as painshill's occupation????? Wow. I Always follow your posts sir, thanks. Well I would think the exogyra would of been a prized oyster of the day based on the Shell thickness as an adaption to predatory pressure. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painshill Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Who here would of guessed 'food science technologist' as painshill's occupation????? Wow. I Always follow your posts sir, thanks... Thanks squali... it's what I originally trained to be, but not what I do now. I'm a technical regulatory expert for the food, home care, personal care and cosmetics manufacturing industries. Roger I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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