piranha Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Great fossils this month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 This is probably my largest find ever! It is a part of a giant clam from the Niobrara formation (mid to late Cretaceous). It was discovered on Saturday, September 3rd in southeastern Gove County. But what makes this giant clam even cooler is the fact that there is about 30-40 small fish inside of it!! It's not a case of the clam eating the fish, but rather the fish would hide inside the giant clams to escape predators (some clams could reach more than 4 feet in diameter). The sea bottom was probably muddy and pretty flat at the time, so the clams would have offered a good hiding place. Clams are among the most common of fossils in the Niobrara formation, however little fish are incredibly rare. These fish range in size from 4 1/2 inches to about 6 inches. The details of the fish are amazing, almost every scale is preserved. The skulls are rather disarticulated. The bones in the skull are very small and don't hold together well after death. I have just barely started the preparation, and it will take many months to complete. The fish are mostly Omosoma garretti, the giant clam is some species of Inoceramus. Wow!!! Did you see the fish when you were looking at the clam in the field or only after you got home? What an awesome find!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasFossilHunter Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) Wow!!! Did you see the fish when you were looking at the clam in the field or only after you got home? What an awesome find!! Actually, there was a fish pectoral fin, from a larger fish, just below the clam that my father pointed out to me. Then I saw the clam, and noticed the small fish bones. Needless to say I got VERY excited! Edited September 29, 2011 by NiobraraFossilHunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhk Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Hr is The Track Whisperer... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhk Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 DISPLAYING CIRCULAR LEAF SCAR DIMPLES with a great look at the leaves, 315 million year old [mid-Pennsylvanian] Lepidodendron scale tree bark cast from Plainville, MA (found Sept 4th). Lepidodendron, a giant club moss, grew up to 100 feet tall. On this outing I found several sections of the same tree all with great preservation in the nodes, branchletts and leaves in live like position. Its stumps sometimes became nests or traps for primitive reptiles and amphibians. For this reason Lepidodendron stigmaria is often a sign that the area is prime for tracks. (see drawing for detail) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k1wb Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 (edited) found Sept. 9,2011 Unidentified coaral coon Creek beds Upper Cretaceous Early Maas. Union County, Ms. Hope you guys like my entry. Edited October 1, 2011 by k1wb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Dinosaur material is a plus indeed! Take a look and hopefully you'll like too. Hadrosaur tooth Ripley Formation - ROD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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