RCFossils Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I have not posted in a while and wanted to share an amazing fossil that i collected in December of 2017. Sharks usually do not come to ones mind when discussing Illinois fossils. Many collectors are not aware that you can find complete shark skeletons. Illinois is fortunate to be one of the few places in the world to find complete Pennsylvanian aged sharks. The vast majority of these fossils are found within siderite concretions in the Mazon Creek deposit. These rare sharks are always found as immature individuals. Illinois also has limited exposures of black shale similar to the Mecca Quarry Shale of Indiana. This shale was extensively studied by Rainer Zangerl in the 1960s and 70s and is known for the variety of sharks that he uncovered. I have been collecting a small exposure of this shale for the past 20 or so years finding a variety of bivalves, crustaceans, nautiloids and occasional fish. Most of the fish are fragmentary and usually not well preserved. I have shared pictures of a few of the specimens I have collected in past posts. One of the most interesting fish that I have collected is a little known group of sharks called Iniopterygians. They are also referred to as flying sharks due to the unusual placement of the pectoral fins mounted high up on the shoulder. It is believed that these fins would have functioned similar to the fins in modern flying fish. They have large eyes, club like tails and very unusual tooth batteries. There are several described types mostly known from fragmentary remains. Since preservation in black shale is usually poor, most of the described specimens are x-rayed rather then prepped to help identify bones and bone structures. The specimens that I have collected have all been relatively small ranging from five to six inches. This new specimen is by far the largest and best preserved example that i have ever seen. The specimen measures a little over a foot in length. Due to the quality of preservation, I had a friend spend nearly 40 hours prepping out the fish. It appears to be quite a bit different from other examples that I have found. If anyone on the forum knows of any researchers who work with these sharks, please let me know. Enjoy! 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Now THAT is one SPECTACULAR find! Congratulations! -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Wow! And Wow! again. That is a spectacular fossil. Great find. Not bad for a mere two decades of collecting. : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 An extraordinary fossil! Congratulations, and tell your friend I give his preparation Four-Thumbs-Up. "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...
Darktooth Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 That is a very cool find! Congratulations! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Great specimen. Great prep work. Is that pyrite replacement or a trick of the light/other preservation? You could try contacting Richard Lund who has specialized on the variety of fishes from the Bear Gulch Limestone. Through that work, he became an authority on early shark-like fishes. I've never met him but have friends who knew him well back in the 80's-90's (not sure if they still keep in touch). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00371.x/abstract Iniopterygians are more like chimaeroids than sharks with most Paleozoic chondrichthyans quite distantly related to modern sharks. That's why some researchers tend to refer to Paleozoic chondrichthyans as "shark-like fishes" rather than sharks. However, some do call them sharks as a loose, general term with it understood that most were not closely-related to sharks as we know them today or even as we know the vast majority of Mesozoic forms (sharks/shark-like fishes were nearly eliminated during the end-Permian extinctions). 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Way way cool! Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Insanely cool fossil. Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 That is so beautiful . I love it so much. Thanks for sharing this special find. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Very cool fella! A really nice specimen! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 1 hour ago, siteseer said: Great specimen. Great prep work. Is that pyrite replacement or a trick of the light/other preservation? You could try contacting Richard Lund who has specialized on the variety of fishes from the Bear Gulch Limestone. Through that work, he became an authority on early shark-like fishes. I've never met him but have friends who knew him well back in the 80's-90's (not sure if they still keep in touch). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00371.x/abstract Iniopterygians are more like chimaeroids than sharks with most Paleozoic chondrichthyans quite distantly related to modern sharks. That's why some researchers tend to refer to Paleozoic chondrichthyans as "shark-like fishes" rather than sharks. However, some do call them sharks as a loose, general term with it understood that most were not closely-related to sharks as we know them today or even as we know the vast majority of Mesozoic forms (sharks/shark-like fishes were nearly eliminated during the end-Permian extinctions). Thanks to everyone for your kind words. I was ecstatic when I split the shale and saw it for the first time. I am aware of their placement and use the term shark loosely. Yes, it is pyritized and is gold against a black matrix. I will try and contact Richard Lund and see if he is still actively doing research. My next step to x-ray the piece and see if the dentary is preserved. There is one loose tooth element preserved that i can see. There are also a few dermal denticles preserved on the skull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 2 hours ago, Auspex said: tell your friend I give his preparation Four-Thumbs-Up. Did you have to take your shoes off for that one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Incredible find! Simply stunning. Congratulations on the rare and beautiful find! 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...
Miocene_Mason Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 The words to describe it escape me, for that is a truly amazing find! I know the university of Alberta has an extensive collection of Paleozoic fish. I’m sure any institution would be happy to study that specimen! Congrats again on the find of a lifetime, and kudos to the prepper as well! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 , kudos all around! Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Awesome! Looks like something straight out of a museum exhibit. Fossil of the Month entry? The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Amazing find!!! 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...
Auspex Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 9 hours ago, caldigger said: Did you have to take your shoes off for that one? It's a trick I learned from a Chimp. "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...
Paciphacops Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Very amazing. I had no idea there were flying sharks, except in Sharknados! "Don't force it, just use a bigger hammer" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 WOW! Amazing. Congratulations, what a spectacular fossil. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 I looked at this several hours ago, and I still have no words. Thank you for letting us partake of this once in a lifetime find. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Another STUNNING find to add to your legendary collection, Rob!!! @Carl 2 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 My my my... What a beauty! Putting feelers out! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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