Imprinty Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hello! Found this on my grandparents farm in southern Missouri. Any ideas what it is? Thanks! Btw, love this helpful forum. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprinty Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 It is some type of orthoconic nautiloid. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprinty Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 +1 for nautiloid. Tony 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprinty Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Very cool! Thank you:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Orthocone Cephalopod. Great find. Regards, 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Definitely orthoconic cephalopod orthocone. Nice find ! 1 " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Cool cephalopod 1 Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Very nice one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprinty Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 Because this was found in southern Missouri just out on the ground and not buried. And it's split down the middle and very smooth on too... Is there a possibly this was used by a native Indian tribe as a tool of some sort? Are these fossils normally found in southern Missouri and are they commonly split? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Imprinty said: Because this was found in southern Missouri just out on the ground and not buried. And it's split down the middle and very smooth on too... Is there a possibly this was used by a native Indian tribe as a tool of some sort? Are these fossils normally found in southern Missouri and are they commonly split? Thanks! Hi Imprinty! I really like your orthocone nautiloid - it's a lot bigger than the ones I find up here in the Toronto area! I've found a few embedded in rocks and a few that were just lying around in between creek-bed rocks - the fact that it was just lying around may just mean that it became separated from the rock that it was within due to exposure to the elements - it doesn't necessarily mean that it was used by somebody at some point (I think). As for why it looks split - could the split be where the siphuncle once existed in the living animal? The siphuncle wasn't always located in the centre of the phragmocone (shell). Let's see what others have to say... Thanks for sharing your find, and enjoy your fossil! Monica Edited September 8, 2016 by Monica 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 The way your fossil looks is common. The split down the middle often occurs because of aggressive erosion like what can occur in the bed or bank of a waterway. The initial exposure may have been parallel to the flow and material in the water wore one side away before it was washed out. It is also common to find fossils completely free of the matrix. When the minerals that formed the fossil are harder than the matrix a very well preserved fossil can be found completely loose and floods can spread them over areas with no apparent streambed. The siphuncle of a nautiloid is generally central compared to ammonoids but can be somewhat out of center to different degrees. Ammonoids always have a siphuncle near the ventral margin. I suppose there could be exceptions to both of these norms but they are a good general rule for telling them apart. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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