Fossil I.D. (non-ceph?)

[Architeuthoceras]

I thought this was a cephalopod phragmocone so I took a picture of it. After further review I don't think it is, the septa, and what looked like the siphuncle do not have the right morphology. Anyone seen anything that resembles this, it is probably worn and showing a cross-section. I will be posting it to a paleo list in the near future, but thought I would give the folks on TONMO the first crack at it

It is in Early Ordovician limestone.

 

[Clem]

Hmmm.

Wild guesses: it almost looks like the tip of some vertebrate's tail, with ossified tissues running down the midline. Or a jaw with teeth dislodged from its sockets.

Whatever it is, it looks like there's plenty more of it locked in that matrix.



Clem

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Clem, that would be fantastic if it were an Ordovician vertebrate, I think these rocks are a few million years to old for that though. If it is an animal it would have to an invert. I think plants are out too.

 

[Clem]

 

[cthulhu77]

Hmm...I have seen cone snail shells that have been severely weathered look somewhat like that...how large was the object?
nice Estwing...my favorite too !!!
greg

 

[Phil]

Not sure at all Kevin. I thought it may have been a nautiloid too; the only other thing that I can think of that it vaguely resembles is an arm of a starfish.

 

[AndyS]

To me this looks like a graptolite.
Where did you find it and what is it's size ?

AndyS

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Those are both some very good critters to ponder

It was located in the southern House Range, west central Utah, from near the base of the informal light gray ledge forming member of the Ibexian (Lower Ordovician) Fillmore Formation. It is about 3/8" (10mm) wide and 2" (50mm) long.

 

[Octomush]

I think it looks alot like some kind of simple vertebre (scuze my spelling) maybe it was the first vert? It could be anything though maybe even a foot os somekind lol! There is alot of weird stuff out there...

 

[Architeuthoceras]

A Graptolite, Phyllograptus sp. from shale beds in the same formation. I dont know if graptolites got crushed in shale like some ammonoids, but most are just thin films like this.

 

[cthulhu77]

wish I had a good photo of the shells down in mexico...there are some that look just like that first pic (I thought they were cones, but it is certainly possible that I am wrong...) we were supposed to go down to the cabin next week, but then trouble appeared on the horizon, and it seems we won't...

 

[Architeuthoceras]

It is possible it is a high spired snail shell. That is really thick shell in spots though. :?


The orange rind on the rocks in some layers of this formation are considered to be bacterial or algal mats, maybe this is just one of the above mentioned animals with a layer of growth on it

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Well, the general concensus on the other list is that it is a nautiloid cephalopod with silicified deposits in the siphuncle and camerae.

Who would have thought...