January 2023 - Finds of the Month Entries

[digit]

REMINDER: PLEASE carefully read ALL of the rules below.

Make sure you include all the required information, IN THE REQUESTED FORMAT (below) when you submit your fossil! 

If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me a PM.

Please pay special attention to Rule #5: 

Before and After Preparation Photos must be submitted for prepped specimens NOT  found during the Month of the Contest.

In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds.

Entries will be taken until 11:59:00 PM EDT on JANUARY 31, 2023

Any fossil submitted after that time, even if the topic is still open, will be deemed ineligible! 

 

Only entries posted with CLEAR photos and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. 

Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month.

 

Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month.

 

In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. 

Tell us more about your fossil, and why you think it is worthy of the honor. 

To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery.

 

Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry!
Best of success to all, and good hunting!

 

***********************************

Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests

1. Find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found personally by you are allowed. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS.
2. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per member per contest category.)
3. Your fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or Significant Preparation * of your fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest.
4. You must include the Date of Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Date of Discovery (if not found in the contest month).
5. Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. Please make sure you arrange for photos if someone else is preparing your fossil find and completes the prep requirements in the contest month.
6. You must include the Common and/or Scientific Name.
7. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the fossil was found.
8. You must include the State, Province, or region where the fossil was found.
9. You must include CLEAR, cropped, well-lit images (maximum 4 images). If you are proud enough of your fossil to submit it for FOTM, spend some time to take good photos to show off your fossil.
10. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims.

 

* Significant Preparation = Substantial work to reveal and/or repair important diagnostic features, resulting in a dramatic change in the look of the fossil. The qualification of Significant Preparation is decided at the discretion of staff. Any doubts as to the eligibility of the entry will be discussed directly with the entrant.

 

******* Please use the following format for the required information: *******

• Date of Discovery  (month, day, year) 

• Scientific and/or Common Name

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation

• State, Province, or Region Found

• Photos of Find

 

 

(Please limit to 4 clear, cropped, and well-lit images.)

(If prepped, before and after photos are required, please.)

[jpc]

wow... we are half way through the month... and there is nothing here.  

 

 

[FranzBernhard]

Ok, I will fix this .

 

Leaf impressions (unidentified) in a Miocene freshwater limestone from eastern Styria, Austria. Site and "plant remains" are known since the 1950ies, but nothing is documented about the fossils in particular nor are there any fossils deposited in the museum. They have a few slabbed rocks from there, though, because this tufa / travertine occurrence is not particularly small for Austrian standards and was shortly considered for producing cladding stones. But nothing happened.

I don´t mind sharing detailed locality info, this area should be prospected and collected in detail for fossils (I will not do it):

Fossils 2023 (pdf, link to my personal homepage, in German, including some site pics).

This is the only plant specimen I will keep from that site, two are going to the museum and two are already given to friends. The pics show two sides of the 1-2 cm thick specimen. Note the upper left, there is a bend leaf impression. I have asked for that stuff earlier .

 

• Date of Discovery: 01/08/2023

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Unidentified leaf impressions in freshwater limestone

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Miocene, Basin of Passail, Styria, Austria

• State, Province, or Region Found: Hausbauer Farm, Haufenreith, South of Auen, Passail, Styria, Austria

 

Franz Bernhard

[aldo66]

As promised on a previous post, I take advantage of the FOTM to  present to you one of my dreams realized in early 2023, I was looking for amber on this site for a very long time and have so far only found inclusions of actinobacteria or protists but never an insect. The dream is now very real with two specimens on the same piece for my greatest pleasure.

 

 

• January, 02, 2023

• Hymenoptera + Psocoptera in a piece of Agathoxylon amber

• Mid Cenomanian

• Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fifbrindacier]

4 hours ago, aldo66 said:

As promised on a previous post, I take advantage of the FOTM to  present to you one of my dreams realized in early 2023, I was looking for amber on this site for a very long time and have so far only found inclusions of actinobacteria or protists but never an insect. The dream is now very real with two specimens on the same piece for my greatest pleasure.

 

 

• January, 02, 2023

• Hymenoptera + Psocoptera in a piece of Agathoxylon amber

• Mid Cenomanian

• Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

 

Hébé, je ne savais pas qu'on pouvait trouver cela dans le Languedoc-Roussillon.

Wow, i didn't knew one could find this in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

[aldo66]

On 1/17/2023 at 2:14 PM, fifbrindacier said:

Hébé, je ne savais pas qu'on pouvait trouver cela dans le Languedoc-Roussillon.

Wow, i didn't knew one could find this in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Yes, very small occurrences where amber and jet may be present (especially Cenomanian and Turonian), but the number of insects listed does not exceed 40 in total!

We are very far from the number of inclusions in amber from the Baltic or Burma 

[caterpillar]

Bravo Alex. Nice find

[fifbrindacier]

You could post it in the finds of the month entries.

[Mikrogeophagus]

Guess I will get the ball rolling on the vertebrate side of things. Found this awesome tooth on my first trip to Jacksboro!

 

• Date of Discovery: 1/7/23

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Glikmanius occidentalis

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Finis Shale, Graham Formation, Upper Pennsylvanian

• State, Province, or Region Found: Jacksboro, TX

 

 

[minnbuckeye]

Just to have more than a few entrants for Fossil of the Month, I have decided to throw this crinoid holdfast into the mix. Back in May, I discovered the piece deeply embedded in matrix and gave it to  @Ptychodus04 to prep out a little.

 

It then sat on a shelf for months and months until I recently took my dremel to it. Being the fish layer between the Keokuk and Burlington, many teeth were embedded in the matrix as seen here.

 

 

The more matrix I trimmed away, the more interesting projections emerged. After exposing as much as I could, images were then given to William Ausich of my beloved Ohio State University, who was kind enough to ID it as a Barycrinus sp. holdfast.

 

I never envisioned me entering a crinoid holdfast in a fossil of the month competition, but I fell in love with this. Hopefully some forum members will also see the beauty in this crinoid root system!!!!

 

________________________________________________

 

. Date of Discovery: 5/2022 

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Barycrinus sp.holdfast

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation:  Intersection of the Burlington and Keokuk Formations, Mississippian

• State, Province, or Region Found: SE Iowa

 

 

Before prep:

 

 

This was a larger crinoid piece than I am used to finding in the Burlington as shown in this picture.

After Prep:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A.C.]

• Date of Discovery: January, 22, 2023 

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Eurypterus sp. (No formal description of these out of this formation)

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Silurian

• State, Province, or Region Found: Pennsylvania

• Photos of Find:

 

Specimen:

 

Measurement: ~ 4.75 cm (1.87 inches)

 

 

 

Entire Plate: 

 

[digit]

Nice drool-worthy additions to the invert/plant category.

 

The final image above is a bit dark and difficult to see the details so I've brightened it a bit so it can be appreciated.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

[A.C.]

24 minutes ago, digit said:

Nice drool-worthy additions to the invert/plant category.

 

The final image above is a bit dark and difficult to see the details so I've brightened it a bit so it can be appreciated.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

Appreciate it Ken thank you!

[jpc]

My entry...

• Date of Discovery: June 2022; preparation in January 2023 (about 8 hrs) 

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Lambdotherium, upper second and third molars in maxilla fragment.  Classically considered the earliest titanothere, but it may not be.

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: early Eocene, Wasatchian age.  Main Body of the Wasatch Formation

• State, Province, or Region Found: Wyoming

• Photos of Find:

 

as found.  Two halves in two pieces of limestone

 

after 8 hrs of prep:

 

 

and an attempt at a stereophoto (see if you can make it jump out in 3D)

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by jpc

[Collector9658]

Date of Discovery: 10/30/22; preparation finished January 2023

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Ameura missouriensis molt 

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Deer Creek Formation, Pennsylvanian-aged

• State, Province, or Region Found: Missouri

[Mikrogeophagus]

At the very end of last month, I was excited to find a fragmented brittle star at my Pawpaw honey hole. Unfortunately, that was just a few days too early to submit to this month's contest. Since then, we finally got a bit of rain here in Texas, so I went on a hunt at a couple of spots, including my Pawpaw location, while they were fresh. I found some neat stuff, but I never thought such a miracle could happen twice. As I was wrapping up, I laid eyes on another starfish very near to where I had found the one from the previous month. This time, however, it had 15 limb fragments as opposed to the 4 I had retrieved last time. I must have looked crazy out there, fist pumping non-stop. Today, I got to gluing them. It was a tedious endeavor, but I thankfully had some experience going in this time. It is much much more complete and I could not be any happier! Online, I do not see many similarly aged Ophiura sp. free of matrix like my specimen. I think that makes it extra special, though extremely fragile. I've got a new favorite in my collection!

 

• Date of Discovery: 1/25/23

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Ophiura sp. Brittle Seastar

• Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Pawpaw Formation, Albian, Cretaceous

• State, Province, or Region Found: North Central Texas

 

In situ. A smattering of limb fragments around a nicely preserved central disc

 

The fragments shortly before gluing. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out the orientation of these guys.

 

Aboral side

 

Oral side

 

For those interested, I will definitely be writing up a trip report soon on this trip, so look forward to that!

 

Thanks

Edited January 27, 2023 by EPIKLULSXDDDDD
Swapped for clearer photos

[PFOOLEY]

Invertebrate

 

Coilopoceras colleti

Upper Cretaceous (Turonian)

Juana Lopez Mbr. (Mancos)

Sandoval County, NM

Discovered: 01.22.23

 

 

  

 

[PFOOLEY]

24 minutes ago, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

 

That looks brittle...awesome find.

[piranha]

On 1/24/2023 at 9:21 AM, Collector9658 said:

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Ameura missouriensis molt 

 

 

With a nearly fully enrolled exoskeleton, this specimen is much more likely to be a carcass rather than a molt. Some early to middle Cambrian trilobites did rely on partial enrollment or dorsal flexure to facilitate exuviation, however, this type of enrollment is typically a defensive response to a predatorial threat and/or rapid burial. Kudos on finding it and the meticulous prep work.....Congrats!

[Huntonia]

On 1/24/2023 at 12:21 PM, Collector9658 said:

Date of Discovery: 10/30/22; preparation finished January 2023

  

Wow!! That is a gorgeous bug, and excellent prep work! 

 

Congrats on an amazing find!

[digit]

Lots of enviable entries in the invert/plant category but the vertebrate contest is looking a little sparse at the moment. I know it's a bit chilly in the northern hemisphere right now but you all have a few days left in this month to contribute your best recent find to this contest. Let's see what you've got.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[fifbrindacier]

Wow, here is a promise of Nice compétition !

[Meganeura]

Here is my first ever Rhino Fossil, and it’s a very well preserved Astragalus/ankle bone!
 

Date of Discovery: 1/28/23

Scientific and/or Common Name: Teleoceras proterum, Miocene Rhino Astragalus/Ankle bone

Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Bone Valley formation, Miocene

State, Province, or Region Found: Central Florida

 

[PaleoNoel]

Many excellent contenders this month! Congratulations to everyone for their finds. 

[Collector9658]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:09 PM, piranha said:

 

 

With a nearly fully enrolled exoskeleton, this specimen is much more likely to be a carcass rather than a molt. Some early to middle Cambrian trilobites did rely on partial enrollment or dorsal flexure to facilitate exuviation, however, this type of enrollment is typically a defensive response to a predatorial threat and/or rapid burial. Kudos on finding it and the meticulous prep work.....Congrats!

Thanks! Preparation was done by the marvelous @Malcolmt!