I_gotta_rock Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Okay, here's a weird one for any shell people out there. Found this on the Potomac's beach where the cliffs have Eastover, St Mary's and Choptank FM exposures. At first, it was a blob of clay with what looked like a hinge showing at one end. I chalked it up to oyster or mussel. Brough it home, cleaned it up most of the way and said, "What the heck?" The texture is really strange. It's convex where I would expect it to be concave. It's lumpy, but not heavily sculptured. I took it to some people who were more familiar with the spot and/or knew something about vertebrates, in case my mollusk assessment was totally off. No, looks like invertebrate of some kind, they said. I've identified and catalogued over 70- species from the cliffs, pouring over the same references for countless hours. There are a few approximately the right shape, given how broken it is, and have similar parallel growth lines, but the texture and lumps???? And that weird ridge 1/2 of the length from the beak? Multiple shells overlapping? Again I say, "What the heck?" I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Maybe Atrina or some other Pinnidae genus. I think the ridge was formed by compaction that deformed the shell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 8 minutes ago, Al Dente said: Maybe Atrina or some other Pinnidae genus. I think the ridge was formed by compaction that deformed the shell. Yeah, that was one of my possibilities. Even if it turns out to be a deformed, mangled specimen of something, I think I'm going to keep it for the geological story it holds. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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