Flush Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I picked this up when i was collecting shells on conwy beach with my daughter and thought it looked kind of fossil like: it is also about the size of my palm (sorry about the big picture size i just thought it would be better for detail) image 1 image 2 image 3 image 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Doesn't look "fossily" to me. The underside will typically be filled in with matrix material. Looks like a well-worn oyster, just like a bunch I've found on the beach. However, keep looking, I once found a 2" meg tooth at St. Pete Beach, laying there on the sand waiting for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 what you have there is a valve from an oyster shell, with some worm tubes attached, and apparently a few drilled holes from worm activity. the shell looks "old", but it probably isn't possible to tell without scientific tests how old it might be. i too have wondered on many occasions if shells i've found in areas where they could be fossils are in fact fossils, but the problem is that unless the species of shell went extinct during a previous time and doesn't exist anymore, then the only way to tell really is if it's dug out of strata that have been dated to a particular time. if it's found on the beach and is from an existing specie, then the answer pretty much has to be that it just appears old, and might or might not be old enough to be considered a "fossil". welcome to the forum. thanks for posting the pictures. i like old oysters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I don't see much sign of mineralization so I doubt fossil but it seems old. It isn't done yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flush Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 ok people thanks for the quick responses and i'll go with the fact that its just a old worn out oyster shell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 just an example of dating oysters. these don't really look all that different from "modern" ones, but they were found in a cretaceous area of north texas. they are quite old and from nowhere near any recent coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flush Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 just an example of dating oysters. these don't really look all that different from "modern" ones, but they were found in a cretaceous area of north texas. they are quite old and from nowhere near any recent coast. wow thanks for the examples and i can see mine doesnt look as old as them also whats with the shiny looking layer on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 just an example of dating oysters. these don't really look all that different from "modern" ones, but they were found in a cretaceous area of north texas. they are quite old and from nowhere near any recent coast. I'm glad my wife decided to date an oyster 27 years ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 as i recall, the "shiney" thing was just that they were wet. I'd probably just washed them or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Oysters are fun to collect. I had a friend who collected oysters with interesting attachment scars (ammonite imprints, etc.) Yours has an attachment scar as does the one at the top of tracer's picture (pectin perhaps). Neat stuff. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 i have a few attachment scars, but that's a whole 'nother story. somebody here posted an oyster attached to an arrowhead when we had a discussion about a year ago or so. that was cool. i have a 60's era beer bottle with oysters on it that i like. probably not as cool as tj's mastodon tooth with little oyster spats on it, but still. i really like oysters for some reason. but i keep them away from my other fossils, in case they have fossil vibrio bacteria on them. wouldn't want my cow fossils getting necrotising fasciitis. course they don't have any fascia, so don't know how that would happen, but i don't want to overthink the issue. (ya'll have no idea how much i love saying stuff like that). my favorite oysters are my most perfect exogyras and ilymatogyras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 my favorite oysters are my most perfect exogyras and ilymatogyras. I have some lophas that I'm quite fond of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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