DevonianDigger Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 A visitor brought this item up front and I'm pulling the room to see if anyone has a definite ID on this piece. It's almost like coal, definitely seems like a carbonized something. Doesn't have the calcite to indicate plant, perhaps a fish coprolite? Thanks in advance. 2 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...
Tidgy's Dad Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Hmmmm. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcrazy Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 It looks like coalified plant material. Calcite is usually present as an infill of cracks in the carbonized fossils. It's an association, not a diagnostic requirement. Because it is Middle Devonian in age; my guess is it is a stalk plant like Pertica, Iridopteris or some Psilophyton. These plant fragments appear with some frequency and are known in the WNY region. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Thanks, John! Haven't seen one quite this coalified before here. Thanks for the info! 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...
Carl Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I could see that as plant or coprolite. Not enough detail for me to do better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 4 minutes ago, Carl said: I could see that as plant or coprolite. Not enough detail for me to do better, Perhaps the resemblance to hard coal suggests, if ever so slightly, that it was prepossessed in an animals G.I. tract in a way that is similar to the composting process that occurs in coal swamps ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeschWhat Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 I have seen coprolites from England that are really glassy like that. Can I see a photo of this? It looks a bit like it could be a coprolite. It might give a clue as as to the other. Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Were there any of the large fish that filter feed on plankton around at the time ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share Posted August 3, 2018 I'll have to try and get access to get more photos. It was donated to the PD collection, so it is now at the office. Since I'm a site jockey, I don't see the office very often. I'll try to get more photos though. 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...
DevonianDigger Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share Posted August 3, 2018 22 hours ago, GeschWhat said: I have seen coprolites from England that are really glassy like that. Can I see a photo of this? It looks a bit like it could be a coprolite. It might give a clue as as to the other. I can tell you from looking at the photo that those are a pair or Eldredgeops rana cephalons. Top one is facing down, lower one is facing toward the arrow, toward the lower left of the image. 2 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...
Fossildude19 Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Jay, I've seen similar items on fish plates of Scottish Devonian age. I'm in the coprolite camp on this one. 1 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...
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