Unknown Fossil

[epoch]

Hey so I recently went on a school trip to Caesar Creek to look for fossils. Most of what we we were looking for were small trilobites and ancient coral, but I found this long spine like thing in the ground and have no idea what it is... it was about the width of a fist.

[Kane]

Looks like an orthocone nautiloid. Good find!

[epoch]

8 minutes ago, Kane said:

Looks like an orthocone nautiloid. Good find!

Okay I thought it might be that. Prolly a really amateur question for here but I really wasn’t sure how else to find out :-)

[doushantuo]

on this forum,all questions about fossils are legitimate.

[Ludwigia]

Some of the greatest scientists ever started out as amateurs. Just keep asking questions otherwise you'll never learn what you want to know.

[erose]

Yes, there are no dumb questions (dumb answers we can't guarantee.)

 

The zone that produces the tiny trilos is also known for orthoconic cephalopods like that one. 

 

Did you find any small trilobites?  I see a few of the little Zygospira brachiopods in the photo. Those enrolled bugs are often found amongst the brachs where they are hard to spot.

[Packy]

Next time, save some  of the clay around those fossils, wash and sieve with a fine sieve, and use a microscope low power to look for worm jaws, , scolecodonts and other small fossils. it is another way to find complete fossils.  You can use ladies hose as a simple sieve, to get you started.   Packy