sandi Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Howdy, I hope everyone's Monday is going great! I have a new fossil I found a while back in Saint Louis that I'd like to be identified. I would like to learn as much as possible. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 To start with, it is a coral. Someone should be able to narrow that down a lot. "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...
Khyssa Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Looks like a type of brain coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Looks like a type of brain coral. I agree! " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Missouri doesn't have fossil coral (scleractinian) like that. How it found its way to Missouri is anyone's guess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 I was wondering whether it might be a refugee from an aquarium or something. Definitely not native th the area. "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...
sandi Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Thanks a lot guys! I have no idea how it got there... I was walking in the woods and picked it up. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Finder #1 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 fossilized brain coral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhw Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I'm not so sure it's fossilized. That's pretty much how modern coral looks when it's dried out. The algae stains give some credence to the aquarium scenerio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 fossilized brain coral Why do you say it is fossilized? "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...
Herb Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) Looks recent, there are tiny sand and shell fragments in the crevices. Edited November 21, 2015 by Herb 1 "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Could be something someone picked up on the beach while down in Florida and carted home as a souvenir. Then when the think began to stink to high heaven they did a drive by and tossed it out of the car window into the woods just to be rid of the stank that knows no bounds. I've occasionally picked up a nice shell while diving that appeared to be empty (certainly with no living gastropod inhabiting it) only to find later that there was a small hermit crab tucked up inside that escaped my view. The unmistakable odor of dead marine life soon belies the existence of the poor desiccated (but not completely dried out) creature within. It's pretty beaten up but definitely a "brain coral" as has already been stated. I don't see the parallel ridges characteristic of Diploria labyrinthiformis so I'm going to hazard a guess of Pseudodiploria strigosa. You should be able to do a google image search under that name and see if the images match your specimen. If it does turn out that there was once fossil reefs in your area (I'd expect there to be more than one lone coral sitting in the forest) then all bets are off as to the actual species as I'm no expert in ancient coral species. Hope this helps. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Finder #1 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Auspex i said it was fossilized because Sandi said it was a fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterosaur Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Technically it could be a fossil coral that someone used in their aquarium; which could explain the algae. Probably not though.. People use dead coral like that in their aquariums all the time as biological filters to keep the water healthier for fish. It's called 'live rock.' My guess is that someone had a saltwater aquarium, and when they didn't want it anymore they just dumped the rocks in the forest. I'm not speaking from experience or anything... Cough. "I am a part of all that I have met." - Lord Alfred Tennyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Looks like Diploria to me also. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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