New Members jakesnake777 Posted February 24, 2013 New Members Share Posted February 24, 2013 I have found a fossil of what looks to be the foot of a bird/reptile/dinosaur? It was on the escarpment in ontario by a waterfall. Id like to find out more about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hello, and welcome to the Forum. No rocks of the right age in that area for dinosaur or bird. Maybe a piece of a placoderm? Hopefully others will chime in. 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...
New Members jakesnake777 Posted February 24, 2013 Author New Members Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks what part could it be or what other animal could it be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Looks like placoderm armor to me as well. These were early large fish that had this "armor" over their heads. Pleecan has a beautiful example from Arkona, so hopefully he sees this thread. These fish first appeared in the Silurian, which I believe the escarpment is, but it may also have some Devonian, at least a couple hundred million years older than any dinosaur There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 (edited) Hard for me to say - no real experience with placoderms othere than what I've seen here on the Forum. What is the size of the item? Also - any chance of a more clear, well lit picture? Regards, EDIT: - I've messed with your original pic, bumped up the contrast and rotated it. Maybe some others will have more insight. Regards, Edited February 24, 2013 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...
glacialerratic Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Could also be a poorly preserved syringopora coral. It just looks a little too irregular (lumpy) to be a fish plate. Is the fossil a single layer? It appears to be on the edge of the matrix, can you see the side of the fossil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members jakesnake777 Posted February 24, 2013 Author New Members Share Posted February 24, 2013 I did some research and you could be right about the placoderm armor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethk Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 The Niagara Escarpment is primarily Silurian in age (with a bit of late Ordovician at the bottom, but no Devonian) so the rock is about 420 million years old (about 250 million years before the dinos!). I've never heard of placoderm armour in Escarpment rock, although I'm wise enough (or not wise enough, as the case may be) to leave it to the experts to correct me! But if I were to call it, I would say Syringopora (a type of coral). There is a LOT of coral in the Silurian rock of the Escarpment, Syringopora being one of the ones often found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethk Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Hi again - I just checked and placoderms first appeared in the late Silurian, whereas the youngest rock of the Niagara Escarpment (including the Hamilton area) is middle Silurian. Still not saying it's impossible, as there could be an overlap in ages ("late middle, early late, etc.), but my bet is still a coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thanks for the info, Bethk! I've never seen Syringopora that looks like that, but I trust a local's knowledge. 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...
pleecan Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) Beth is correct. I am a local to this area and Hamilton escarpment is Silurian. I have yet to hear of armored fish in these strata. I have found placoderm armor in Mid Devonian , never in the Silurian and Never in Ordovician..... I am leaning towards coral. You also can try to contact Dr. Dave Rudkin at the ROM for his opinion. Edited February 25, 2013 by pleecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Is there any chance we could see some photos from different angles? I'm leaning towards a plate from a crinoid or cystoid, perhaps Eucalyptocrinus for example. The straight edge to part of the specimen is particularly suggestive, to me. However the specimen might be an impression rather than the actual shell/bone, in which case the "bumps" would be holes, making a colonial coral a possibility. It's sometimes hard to tell an impression from the "positive" from a photo. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Alaska Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Could it be some kind of ostracoderm armor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Here are a couple of examples of the sort of echinoderm I was thinking of. The first photo is a Triamara (formerly Holocystites), the second is listed as a Holocystites. These are from the Silurian, Niagran stage, and so the correct age. Don Photos are off the web; I'd include links but that feature isn't working for me since the software upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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