Fossil Finder Database 2022
Mapping geology This ammonite is an example of Harpocers from the Junction Bed near Seatown. Below is another Harpoceras from the Yorkshire coast near Whitby. As ammonites evolved rapidly, each species only existed for a relatively brief period of time. Therefore the Junction Bed on the Dorset coast and the dark shales near Whitby must…
This species of ammonite was named after Gideon Mantell, an important fossil collector and a contemporary of Mary Anning.
A fine brachiopod This brachiopod, beautifully preserved in silica, comes from Wilmington Quarry, between Honiton and Axminster. The quarry was once worked for sand and gravel, and in the process, countless fossils were uncovered. This brachiopod is perhaps the most famous. Unfortunately the quarry is now closed and there is no public access. It is a…
Oldest fossils Stromatolites are composed of algae that grew layer upon layer in shallow, saline lagoons. Water brought sediment which stuck to the algae and the algae responded by growing another layer, and so on, building up a dome-shaped structure. Stromatolites provide the earliest evidence of life on earth and date back more than 3.5…
This is a single chamber from a nautilus. The shell itself is not preserved; all that is preserved is the hollow space contained within one single chamber. The faint hole in the middle of the structure is where the syphuncle, a tube connecting all the chambers together, passed through the chamber wall. A series of…
A tool of time The ostracod is one of our smallest fossils, and one that is easily overlooked – except by the petroleum industry. Ostracods, like ammonites, evolved very rapidly through time and therefore certain species can be used to tell the relative age of the rocks in which they are found (because those species…
This ammonite has been wonderfully preserved in calcite crystal within a hard limestone nodule. It has taken careful preparation to reveal its beauty. This specimen shows the sutures ( the chamber walls seen edge-on ) really well.
Shell with a hitch-hiker This brachiopod, called Rhynchonella boueti, exists in huge numbers in the rock layer in which it’s found, the Boueti Bed. This specimen has a bryozoan growing on it – a tiny animal that grows on the surfaces of rocks, plants or animal shells. Bryozoans are filter feeder that sieve particles of food out of…
Fossil bone is very distinctive in that it has a porous structure just like modern bone. Very often the open pores are filled with white calcite, but they can also be preserved (as in this example) with a very open structure. Due to the size, bulk and location of this specimen, it is most likely…