Malcolmt Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Well I was out hunting the Ordovician on Saturday and as it turns out I had a pretty awesome day. I found a plate with 5 flexicalymene trilos on it all essentially complete , a cyclocystoid complete with central plates, a partial piece of a cleiocrinus, a pleurocystites, a complete prone ceraurus with at least 5 small crinoid calyx on the plate, a bit mangled enrolled isotelus, a calyptalaux . You can see that fossils when they are found in the field are often nothing special to look at. Note that in the field I always circle what I am interested in with black sharpie marker (never leave home without one ) Many times I look at what I brought home weeks later and it really helps to know what caused me t carry it back to the car with me...... I also write the location and the date on the back because it is often weeks or months before I get to looking at them after getting home. However what got me excited was the rock 2nd from the top of this group but one that had just the faintest sign that it had something that looked like an echinoderm in it. Not much to look at and barely noticeable in the filed.All the pictures that follow are of approximately the same orientation as the original unprepped picture. Here it is under better light and closer up. After a while prepping I realized that I had something special Getting even more special Starting to look quite cool All done and the first ever Edriophus levis (Bather) for me and it is essentially complete. It is about 1 1/2 inches across. There were a few found a few years back but this is the first I have seen in quite a while. Not exactly common......`These are quite rare and are found in both the Bob Caygeon and the verulam formations of Ontario. Note that the arms curve clockwise which is one of the distinguishing features , Lebitodiscus curves counterclockwise. It would also appear that the arms go further down the sides than Foerstedicus. The anus is composed of 9 to 15 triangular plates which you can see broken up on this specimen. Really had no clue what it was when I found it in the field. I thought it was going to most likely be a crinoid calyx... Was a very nice surprise. As you can see from the last picture the specimen is sitting free on its original matrix. The reverse has also been prepped and is hollow with some plates visible. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the underside yet. Maybe will try to do when I get a chance. But have a lot of really neat material under prep right now ... have spent 10 hours a day prepping material in the last few days ... If I can keep up the pace for a few weeks I can start to get my head above water....... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 FANTASTIC! Absolutely gorgeous. Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimlock Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 That is really cool. Great work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 That is a very lovely piece! Great prep! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 That's exquisite!!!! Congratulations. I agree, it looked nothing like that in the field. You have quite the eye for spotting rare treasures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Congrats on another new 'first'. Been a while since I've found any obvious firsts at my site.. I see the Trilobite, Cystoid, Cyclocystoid... I don't know how you can miss some of those things, the sharpie would hardly be needed! (on some) I guess it takes longer to prep all the things that deserve it than it does to find them - Amazing that you ever get your head above water at all... But I guess you need to collect them while the collecting is good? That's what I'm doing at my site, before it's all built upon or eroded to crumbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Beautiful prep job. Cant wait to see that ceraurus prepped ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 @Malcolmt excellent preparation and excited to see your trilobite preparation. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Yikes the pressure is getting put on for me to do the ceraurus ..... maybe tomorrow after I do one for someone else.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 All that from one collecting trip? That would be a dream for me. The Foerstediscus is fantastic! That is one genus I have never found even a scrap of. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Totally disagree. That's an ugly edrioasteroid. Where's the usual deep velvety purple sheen,and does it play "Ode to Joy" when you press all the ambulacra simultaneously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Stunning material, I'd vote for the Foerstediscus as FOTY... Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Excellent finds and top shelf prep work as always, MT. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phevo Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Nice find, beautifully prepped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Doushantuo... Its a Canadian one so it is a poutine yellow and only sings Justin Beiber songs..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 10 hours ago, Malcolmt said: Yikes the pressure is getting put on for me to do the ceraurus ..... maybe tomorrow after I do one for someone else.... No pressure sir. Just excited to see another polished specimen. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Hope we see that Foerstediscus show up in Collections! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 wow, malcolm. I don't know much about the Paleozoic, but I can tell that is a really cool fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Very nice prep Malcolmt. 10 hours a day every day for a few weeks! That would kill me! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Unfortunately RB what I want to do and what I actually do are often very different...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Great Edrio Malcolm! I do think you should check your ID though. I'm 99.9% sure that what you have is an Edriophus levis There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 1 hour ago, Northern Sharks said: ...I do think you should check your ID though. I'm 99.9% sure that what you have is an Edriophus levis. figures from: Hessin, W.A. (2009) South-Central Ontario Fossils: A guide to the ancient marine life of the region. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, 286 pp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Never found one before of either so the identification was somewhat iffy. I looked at both pictures in Hessin and for some reason went with Foerstediscus. I will change the name as I agree it looks more like Edriophus particularly in central oral area. Thanks K. and Scott.... K. Will see you on Sunday . I will likely throw a few of my recent finds and preps in the car ... some are quite nice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Congratulations on such a find and what superb prep too. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Even though JP beat me to it, I'll say it anyway: WOW! That's quite a harvest for one day, Malcolm! Congratulations! Sure does make up for the days where nothing much could be found. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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