Toronto Cephalopod Fossils

[JUAN EMMANUEL]

Hi guys I just wanted to share some of the more interesting and unusual cephalopods that I've managed to amass over the past and nearly 4 years of hunting along the creeks and rivers of Toronto, Ontario. I was cataloguing them on my computer and I figured out that I might as well share them. 

The ones below all came from Mimico Creek. All the fossils belong to the Georgian Bay Formation, and are Late Ordovician in age. 

A Treptoceras crebispetum (author unknown) covered in an unidentified bryozoan. Length is around 15 cm. 

My first complete specimen and the same species as above. Complete ones like these found in the shale are often squashed. The body chamber is intact and the specimen approaches nearly 40 cm in length. 

The smallest complete specimen of the species that I have. This has the body chamber. Length is approximately 10 cm. 

[JUAN EMMANUEL]

Below are more cephalopods except now these are bigger. They are only fragments of the actual shell. All of these specimens below come from the same limestone interbedding and were found less than 3 feet from each other. All the species below belong to Endoceras proteiforme (Hall, 1847).  

Specimen with an endocone speiss. This specimen is 2 ft long. 

Specimen below is the animal's entire body chamber. Length is 37 cm. 

 

 

[JUAN EMMANUEL]

Back of the specimen...

A specimen in two pieces. 30 cm long. 

It was tiring having to carry these specimens home as they were so heavy...  Not your average Ordovician cephalopods. 

[Wrangellian]

Nice specimens... I would be willing to spend the effort to carry them home.

[Ludwigia]

Nice specimens!

[Ash]

Nice! I love cephalopods so thanks for sharing!

[Kane]

Well done, and thanks for sharing! I've always had a fondness for those monster-sized Ordo nautiloids, particularly the nicely inflated ones in limestone as opposed to the flattened ones in shale (though those can be beautifully pyritized!). 

[Fossildude19]

Wow - that's a nice variety there. 

Well done, sir.  

Regards,

[Ridgehiker]

Neato!  Those are some exquisite smaller specimens and monster biggies. Good photos, too.  Its interesting to see specimens that were among the first fossils described in Canada.

 

When I was in university in Montreal I used to explore road cuts, building sites, etc. for fossils. Its a plus to know that the greater Toronto area also has some urban fossil potential. 

 

( I think I just said something nice about Toronto...a first).

[Nimravis]

Very nice collection- Congrats.

[CBOB]

Those are some big boys!  Really nice finds