Emthegem Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) Hello! I have been fossil hunting on and off for the last 10 years, although I would consider myself rather inexperienced in terms of fossil names and general knowledge. Anyways my dad and I found a very odd looking fossil on the river banks of Humber river in Toronto, Ontario, CA. We had no clue what it was and decide to bring it to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to see if one of the fossil guides could identify it - they surprisingly had no clue what it was either. Anyways, I was wondering if someone could help me identify what it might be? I attached a couple pictures below showing scale and some of the details of the specimen: (last picture is underside) *measurements are in centimeters* Thanks in advance for the help! -Em Edited July 21, 2019 by Emthegem - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 The thinner part with the ridges resemble a cephalopod.The other portion is throwing me off. 3 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Hi there and welcome to the fossil forum! I think you have an orthoconic (straight-shelled) nautiloid that may have been encrusted by something like a bryozoan - I'll consult my book of fossils in south-central Ontario to see if I can get an ID for you... Monica 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emthegem Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, Monica said: Hi there and welcome to the fossil forum! I think you have an orthoconic (straight-shelled) nautiloid that may have been encrusted by something like a bryozoan - I'll consult my book of fossils in south-central Ontario to see if I can get an ID for you... Monica Awesome thanks! I figured it might have been an orthoconic nautiloid as we have a TON near the rivers and creaks in Toronto, but that second flat part was what was throwing me off for a while. Anyways I will stay posted!! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 I agree with the others. I think you must have asked the wrong person at the ROM. I can't believe that an experienced paleontologist there wouldn't recognize this at first glance. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Hello again! I've been looking over William Hessin's book (South-Central Ontario Fossils) and an orthoconic nautiloid possessing strong transverse annulations (ridges) that is pictured/described and looks similar to your specimen is Cycloceras. My brief Google search for this genus, however, made me pause because this genus might be limited to the Carboniferous - this is problematic because we have Ordovician rock here in the GTA. I was also thinking - could the main part of your specimen be the exposed siphuncle of Endoceras and the enlarged portion (which I suggested earlier as possibly being an encrusting bryozoan) be the phragmocone surrounding the siphuncle? As you can see, I'm far from certain - hopefully someone more experienced and knowledgeable will come along to help us out. Monica 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 20 hours ago, Darktooth said: The thinner part with the ridges resemble a cephalopod.The other portion is throwing me off. Same here. Plus the 'texture' of the underside has thrown me for a loop as well. Almost has a 'coral' look to it. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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