Fossildude19 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) Hello all, I was able to take advantage of the mild weather this past weekend, and got out to an early Jurassic site in the Shuttle Meadow Formation, here in Connecticut. I had a bit of an adventure, stupidly injured myself, (Not too badly, fortunately! Remember to wear safety glasses!!! ) but powered through to dig for another hour. Found a few nice pieces of fish,... mostly Redfieldiids, with a few pieces of Ptycholepis. Found some plant pieces, but unfortunately, these do not photograph well. Some of my finds ... A Ptycholepis marshi tail: The grand prize winner of the day for overall beauty - a Redfieldius gracilis tail - with dorsal and anal fins: Continued..... Edited April 26, 2012 by Fossildude19 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...
Fossildude19 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) And finally, but most importantly, I think, a piece of Redfieldius gracilis, with what appear to be the articulated fin attachment bones - exposed and preserved !! Am I correct in this line of thinking?? Any fish experts out there with comments? I'd like to hear them. I have seen the bones before, (disarticulated, and individually) but I haven't seen them articulated in this manner. Pretty sure this is not common in my area, and I thought it was noteworthy. And a close up: Thanks for looking! Regards, Edited April 26, 2012 by Fossildude19 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...
dudeman Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Nice finds, Tim! Who says you can't hunt fossils in the winter? Troy Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Tim, That Redfieldius is almost complete. I think it looks awesome. Ramo For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 On 1/12/2012 at 9:16 PM, dudeman said: Nice finds, Tim! Who says you can't hunt fossils in the winter? Thanks Dudeman! Unusual for sure, January hunting, ...here in the northeast. Regards, On 1/12/2012 at 9:21 PM, bowkill said: Tim, That Redfieldius is almost complete. I think it looks awesome. Ramo Ramo, Thanks. I think so too. But it's the story of my finds here - just need half a fish more ! One of these days!.... Regards, 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...
xonenine Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 terrific close ups, great finds, glad you got in another trip! "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 terrific close ups, great finds, glad you got in another trip! Thank you - Carmine! Regards, 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...
flyersfan805 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Tim, The Redfieldius is great. Glad to see there are other fools like me out in the semi cold. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 On 1/12/2012 at 9:35 PM, flyersfan805 said: Tim, The Redfieldius is great. Glad to see there are other fools like me out in the semi cold. Mike Thanks Mike. Yeah, fool is the right word for me! Regards, 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...
Taxman56 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 nice find, i'll take half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neptune Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Wow! That tail was very well preserved! It's extremely rare that you get a both the cast and mold in such great condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Can't help you Tim but nice finds! I went out today in the cold too but didn't find anything near as impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordpiney Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 they are real nice Tim! glad to see your getting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randygeki Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 They are pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Nice finds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Look at all the Jurassic fish! You make it look easy! (Well, except for the nearly-put-your-eye-out part...). Seriously, great finds; congratulations! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Tim, Those are incredible finds. Way to go. Bobby "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 :Drool: Amazing finds! They are so detailed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) you really nailed down your spot this year its pretty funny, just as winter rolls around each year, I've nailed down my most productive spots and I know exactly where to dig, by the time its completely shut down (which happens to be today) guess thats what makes spring so exciting, it will all be new again Edited January 13, 2012 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Beautiful fish. They almost look like ceramics with those shiny, black scales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB88 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 good stuff as usual Tim! The area mentioned does have a resemblance to fin attachment structure Ive seen on extant species. So its possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for sharing about the injury. It is good to share about close calls since it might help encourage someone else to be safer. Now we all just have to get our coworkers to do the same thing. Near misses should always be reported! Nice finds too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I found them Semi-exciting! Cool stuff Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the nice comments. After looking at myriad images on Google Image search, I'm convinced that the bones are indeed fin attachments, called Pterygiophores, (an internal cartilage or bone that supports a median fin ray or spine) and that this is an unusual find. I have looked over some of my readily handy fossils, and see nothing similar to this fossil. I'm pretty excited about this one, even though it's not as pretty as the other fossils! Thanks again, for your kind comments! Regards, 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...
piranha Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 The Veteran Shale Splitter strikes again... a few fab fishes favored forever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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