Hungry beasts

[Pareidoliajim]

Locale: East Texas, near Galveston

Found: January 2021, backyard at sisters home

Matrix: coprolite(?), sandstone(?), eggyolk(?)

 

Well. These past couple of weeks have been most interesting. What started out as an "artifact" find recently, turned into a mind blowing journey which brought out wants and needs in me pertaining to paleontology that have been suppressed for decades! I guess that pictures really do write a thousand words, so without further ado:

 

 

[Pareidoliajim]

Here's the money shot (one of MANY)

[Pareidoliajim]

Is my pareidolia kicking in, or are y'all seeing what I'm seeing? Have a close look on the right side of dragonfly's(?) tail, and "froggy's" leg hump (which I don't really think it is). Do you not see an Oviraptor, or judging by the hand claws, Veliciraptor? How's about the "froggy"? A closer look indicates not a frog(?). How's about the dragonfly(?) and the shrimp thingam'bob? I have about 50 pics of this action packed scene, some with unbelievable detail (for this phone). Initially, all I saw was the "froggy", the dragonfly (and a couple babies), and the shrimp thing. Then after taking pics, the incredible details started to emerge. The backside is even more astonishing. I will reveal the best pics shortly.

Pareidolia? Or something else altogether? You decide. Lol

Aside from the obvious, my sister still thinks I'm seeing things. Please help me to prove her wrong. Hehehe.

[Pareidoliajim]

Regard the look of horror upon the dragonflys'(?) face:

 

[Top Trilo]

I believe its pareidolia, dragonflies, shrimp, and frogs generally all fossilize has flat impressions and not as 3D objects like dinosaur bones. although I learned yesterday a frog fossil in France was found fossilized in 3D (thanks @marguy) I think its still a cool rock with a million stories and possibilities but it is still a rock

 

[Pareidoliajim]

Here's the flipside: ya see the horny headed "dragon" with its long beak munching on the right hind leg of the Protoceritops. Looks like the Tops is dumping a black string of excreta over top of the bill... when the stone is rotated, you can see a little tusk, bead & horns...

[Kane]

I’m not seeing anything here to indicate what you are suggesting. 

[Pareidoliajim]

11 minutes ago, Top Trilo said:

I believe its pareidolia, dragonflies, shrimp, and frogs generally all fossilize has flat impressions and not as 3D objects like dinosaur bones. although I learned yesterday a frog fossil in France was found fossilized in 3D (thanks @marguy) I think its still a cool rock with a million stories and possibilities but it is still a rock

 

Quoi? Looks pretty 3D to me. Looks like it still has skin...

[Fossildude19]

You have a very active imagination. Don't let it run away with you.  

Your item appears to me to be a chert nodule, with some mineral inclusions or some burrow casts. 

What I am NOT seeing is oviraptor, dragon, dragonfly, shrimp, or frogs legs. 

As mentioned before, creatures do not fossilize in 3 dimensional relief, skin and all. 

I see no bone textures, no shell components, and no fossils other than the possible burrow casts..

Sorry.   

[Pareidoliajim]

7 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

You have a very active imagination. Don't let it run away with you.  

Your item appears to me to be a chert nodule, with some mineral inclusions or some burrow casts. 

What I am NOT seeing is oviraptor, dragon, dragonfly, shrimp, or frogs legs. 

As mentioned before, creatures do not fossilize in 3 dimensional relief, skin and all. 

I see no bone textures, no shell components, and no fossils other than the possible burrow casts..

Sorry.   

That's cool. I'm not disputing your analysis. My $30 phone with a scratched lens doesn't do justice to the pics, and I'll get onto my laptop to circle some items of interest. Perhaps someone can enhance the 1st pic to see the ovi. 

Edit: the second pic

Edited February 5, 2021 by Pareidoliajim
Second pic to enhance

[Top Trilo]

13 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

What I am NOT seeing is oviraptor, dragon, dragonfly, shrimp, or frogs legs. 

Are you completely sure? How many dragon fossils have you seen? I've seen flying reptile fossils but no dragons  

To be clear I agree that none of the animals listed are present in this specimen

[Pareidoliajim]

1 minute ago, Top Trilo said:

Are you completely sure? How many dragon fossils have you seen? I've seen flying reptile fossils but no dragons  

To be clear I agree that none of the animals listed are present in this specimen

I used the term "dragon", as a lark. Looks like a dragon head. Lol. But, I implore that someone enhance the 2nd pic and look to the right of the flys' tail. I see a big eyeball, bones, claw hands and a tail. I wish I could circle what I want to show, but this is a cheap phone and can't do it here.

[LabRatKing]

Looks like some ichnofossils to me...or perhaps a few stienkern from belemnites.

[Pareidoliajim]

10 minutes ago, LabRatKing said:

Looks like some ichnofossils to me...or perhaps a few stienkern from belemnites.

You are merciful! I suppose I selected just the correct "handle" for my name!!!  

On a side note, I've looked at some of your excursions and thoroughly enjoy reading about it all!!!!! If ever you're in need of any pareidolian assistance while you're down in the Texas area, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand. I might be 56, but I make a good packmule for hauling equipment and such! ...

[Fossildude19]

Your pictures are perfectly fine.

What we lack is your imagination to see what you see there. 

We come at fossils from a scientific standpoint, and recognize that, although something may look like something else, it doesn't mean it actually IS  that something else.  

 

Cropped and rotated:

 

[Pareidoliajim]

2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Your pictures are perfectly fine.

What we lack is your imagination to see what you see there. 

We come at fossils from a scientific standpoint, and recognize that, although something may look like something else, it doesn't mean it actually IS  that something else.  

 

Cropped and rotated:

  

Understood!

The great thing about this little chunk of chert is that it has motivated me do a mini crash course in paleontology, specifically: Oviraptors, velociraptors and Protoceritops. These are things which I should have persued when I had the chance, but I loved machinery and mechanics, and went into that field instead. I understand that my use of terms such as "dragons" and "thingam'bob" went far to illustrate my ineptness concerning these finds, and I apologise if I came off as a bit of a nut, and I don't have any "pie in the sky" notions that this piece could be in any hitherto unknown state of preservation. I thought maybe there were some previous examples on record, but like I say, I've been "out of the loop" for decades, so I haven't a clue. 

Again, this exercise hasn't dampened my excitement or resolve but has unlocked a real passion I'd almost forgotten about. I need to go on a REAL dig and find a REAL fossil before I wilt.

Thank you to all who have responded to my trip down "Pareidoliam Lane". 

[JohnJ]

1 hour ago, Pareidoliajim said:

...find a REAL fossil before I wilt.

 

I think you already have found several; but as others previously stated, not what you initially thought.  The slanted segmentation and faintly visible slanted lines in the rod shaped inclusions are characteristic of high spired gastropods.  The entire piece looks like a chunk of fossil 'shell hash'.  This type of deposit occurs in many formations in Texas.  Over time, harder pieces become part of gravel deposits that are mined and wind up in places like Galveston.  Your piece is highly eroded due to natural forces or the sorting processes of gravel production.

 

Eocene Cook Mountain Formation matrix

[Pareidoliajim]

10 hours ago, JohnJ said:

 

I think you already have found several; but as others previously stated, not what you initially thought.  The slanted segmentation and faintly visible slanted lines in the rod shaped inclusions are characteristic of high spired gastropods.  The entire piece looks like a chunk of fossil 'shell hash'.  This type of deposit occurs in many formations in Texas.  Over time, harder pieces become part of gravel deposits that are mined and wind up in places like Galveston.  Your piece is highly eroded due to natural forces or the sorting processes of gravel production.

 

Eocene Cook Mountain Formation matrix

Excellent! So the physical makeup of the chunk that I have is more than likely conglomarated sandstone, then? I do have a few other stone of similar size that I will post at some point. A couple actually have undeniable impressions of what looks to be shells, which might be ID'd here.

[Pareidoliajim]

One last thing to add here is the fact that I've only been reading up on paleontological terminology and "animalcules" (I know, I know) and such for about 4 days now, so please bear with me. I also realized I made a couple of spelling errors. Sorry.  

[JohnJ]

1 hour ago, Pareidoliajim said:

So the physical makeup of the chunk that I have is more than likely conglomarated sandstone, then?

 

That's hard to say based on the photos.