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Nice shell stuck in a rock, Tampa FL *Update: not a fossil


just_a_local

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Please excuse my lack of technical terminology ... I'm just starting to learn to describe in fossil terms.  If it's not in a museum, I have difficulty assessing an object's importance.

 

So my shell identification skills probably follow a different path than with most people here. 1) Anything edible inside?  2) Pretty enough for crafting?  Lol

 

This is probably a common conch shell but it's stuck into a rock and so I'm guessing it's a fossil.  There were a lot of shiny iridescent shells nearby, and most were stuck in rocks.  One nearby item was an iridescent sphere, very pretty.

 

Is this a fossil?

20180429.1.1.jpg

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The lines and cracks look fossil like to me, but I think we’re gonna need some better pictures before making a solid ID.

Also, have you got the location of where it was found?

 

Edit: I see you have the location tagged as Florida, but can you elaborate on where it was found in Florida? I.E. beaches or cities?

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Ok thanks for the suggestions!  Beach area (I'll change the tags).  Tomorrow I'll go back and pull it out of the water for better pics.

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47 minutes ago, just_a_local said:

Ok thanks for the suggestions!  Beach area (I'll change the tags).  Tomorrow I'll go back and pull it out of the water for better pics.

Florida has many beaches and they have a wide range of ages.

In order to make a positive ID it helps to know what area it came from, ie county or nearby city.

It also helps if You post several views of a piece and include a scale for size. (ruler is best.)

 

I would say the shell is a fossil if it has rock attached.

The "round" iridescent piece could be a fossil pearl.

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.

 

 

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That's very interesting.  I had no idea there was such a thing as a fossil pearl.  It's so pretty, I'll just get that one too; if it's not a fossil maybe I'll keep it.  Thanks!  (Area is Hillsborough County, Florida.)

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Looks like a crown conch (Melongena).  Can't comment on whether it is fossil or not.  If it's embedded in rock, it likely is.

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Mystery solved!  It is a conch.  I pulled it out of the water ... and the occupant sealed himself inside.  Heh heh.  He was sitting in an indentation in the rock.  Water can really play tricks on my eyes though; I thought it was submerged in a couple of inches of water, but it was a good 12" deep.

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52 minutes ago, just_a_local said:

and the occupant sealed himself inside. 

Yep- not a fossil then. Very few fossils will move on their own.

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.

 

 

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Ynot, I also figured out the iridescent sphere.  I found it again today.  It was a live crab who had somehow managed to stick an iridescent shell into its regular shell.  Never seen anything like it.

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6 minutes ago, just_a_local said:

Ynot, I also figured out the iridescent sphere.  I found it again today.  It was a live crab who had somehow managed to stick an iridescent shell into its regular shell.  Never seen anything like it.

Nature does like to play jokes on us poor humans.:shrug:

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.

 

 

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