Mtskinner Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I found this my last trip out and it appears to be a small piece of coral, but as with a lot of the items I find I'm still on the fence as to what they may be. It's 5/16" wide, 3/8" long, and was found along side of a few nice goblins. As always, any comments will be greatly appreciated! Edited January 28, 2015 by Mtskinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Sure looks like one. Do you know of any faunal lists for the area and stratigraphy you are collecting? That would be a god way to find out if they are already known and identified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 what does Cylindracanthus look like in cross section? The fact that it's phosphatized makes me lean this way. Just guessing of course..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtskinner Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) While I don't have/can't find any faunal lists for my area...I do know that where this came from is perfectly situated between the Cusseta sands of the Ripley formation and the Blufftown formation in Alabama. Edited January 28, 2015 by Mtskinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtskinner Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 I can see the resemblance as well. I originally thought this was a piece from a Cylindracanthus as well but the two rows of holes brought me back to thinking its a spine of some sort. I guess for now I'll have to leave them both in the "I Dunno" box! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Cylindracanthus is a rostral spine (per David Parris, don't have the lit at hand). The holes are in the spine near where it attaches to the skull. In fact the rostrum is bifid at its base. Those are really nice cretaceous examples you have. I sent you a pm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtskinner Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks Plax! I definitely agree that the second one is a piece of Cylindracanthus rostral, just wish there was more info about them online. Seems like its not even known whether they were related to a chimaeroid, billfish or sturgeon as there has yet to be a complete specimen found. As far as the 1st specimen goes...The way it tapers off quickly as if it had a rooted end has me thrown off. Hopefully these pics will show what I'm seeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 There have been fairly complete specimens found including the bifid base. Go to the North Carolina Fossil club web page and they have a pic. The resolution of "what" cylindracanthus is was pretty well decided in the paper below. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of science, Vol 80 (2001) Reassessment of the affinities of the extinct genus Cylindracanthus (osteichthyes). David C. Parris and Barbara Smith Grandstaff and Gordon Bell Jr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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