I thought it was a shell at first..

[daves64]

I've been poking around in some Wellington fm micro matrix, permian age, Jackson Co, OK & thought I found a small worn spiral shell, so I put it with the other items I had pulled out. Later, when looking at the items closer, I realized it wasn't a shell & that I had some slightly crappy matrix... literally. A small coprolite 6 mm in length by 4 mm wide & containing what I think are fish scales. So now I'm digging through the matrix again to see if there is any more. The pics are with a dino lite with no photo stacking software, so please bear with them. This is the one thing I never even considerd that I might find in micro matrix. 

[Darktooth]

Interesting, I like the coloring on this specimen.

[daves64]

I've found a few flat bone pieces with that same red mottling, plus some that aren't so flat. Even some of the teeth have it.

[Fossildude19]

Very cool looking, Dave. 

I think it could be a coprolite. 

My first thought was an internal mold of a gastropod as well, ... but the inclusions do look like possible digested scales/shell bits, and such.

 

Very good photos, too, ... despite the lack of stacking software use. 

[Rockwood]

I vote coprolite.

@GeschWhat @Carl 

[Innocentx]

 @daves64. The most coprolite looking item I've seen on here in awhile.  It's so tiny and so cool you found it.  Great red color and excellent photos. Any idea what type rock this is?

[daves64]

23 minutes ago, Innocentx said:

 Any idea what type rock this is?

Old? This is from a USGS report on the area.

*Occurs in north-central OK on the Chautauqua platform and in the Anadarko basin, and in adjoining KS. Consists of gray to bluish and drab shales with numerous thin beds of gray "mud-stone." Beds of red sandstone present at the "color-change line" changing the color of the shales from gray and drab to red.*

 

Which of course doesn't explain the yellowish hue..

 

 

[Rockwood]

2 hours ago, daves64 said:

Which of course doesn't explain the yellowish hue..

Sulfur is yellow, and it is often associated with stinky things.  

[JohnBrewer]

Coprolite for me I think due to the shape. 

[caldigger]

I still think he needs to do the lick test, regardless of what it is. 

[Carl]

On 11/17/2018 at 10:30 AM, Rockwood said:

I vote coprolite.

@GeschWhat @Carl 

Yep, I see a very convincing coprolite here! And the inclusions are very likely fish scales, as you suppose.

[GeschWhat]

On 11/17/2018 at 9:30 AM, Rockwood said:

I vote coprolite.

@GeschWhat @Carl 

That is a little beauty - a spiral. I also agree those are likely fish scale inclusions. 

[daves64]

Awesome! I found stuff from both ends of a shark!  Haven't found any vertebrae from anything, but I have found a few chunkasaurus bits (I think) & a few scales. And now a coprolite! With even more scales!  << happy dance

[GeschWhat]

21 hours ago, daves64 said:

Awesome! I found stuff from both ends of a shark!  Haven't found any vertebrae from anything, but I have found a few chunkasaurus bits (I think) & a few scales. And now a coprolite! With even more scales!  << happy dance

Obviously, coprolites ARE the best - especially those with inclusions! They are real twofers (fossil & ichnofossil in one). Now keep an eye out for coprolites with inclusions AND feeding traces. 

[Rockwood]

1 minute ago, GeschWhat said:

feeding traces

on a coprolite with inclusions. 

[daves64]

I didn't find any more coprolites in that matrix, but I DID find 3 tiny little pieces of what I think are fossilized cartilage. And I do mean tiny.. The smallest is 1 mm, the biggest 3 mm. At least I think they are cartilage, they look like examples I found online. 

[Carl]

Those definitely look like bits of chondrichthyan cartilage to me. Nice!