Fossil Finder Database 2022
Sharks had lots of sharp teeth which they shed quite regularly. So it’s not surprising that their teeth are the commonest evidence of their existence. The rest of the skeleton was composed of cartilage (which isn’t as hard and rigid as bone), so usually it’s only their teeth and fin spines that are preserved as…
Guts and all! A very unusual feature of this fossil is the gut content – visible towards the back end of the specimen where the scales have come away. The exceptional preservation can be used to find out what ancient fish ate.
This is a femur (upper rear leg bone) of a crocodile-like reptile. True crocodiles evolved at a slightly later date than this specimen.
This is the internal cast of a snail shell. The shell itself was not preserved, just the space within it where the soft parts were housed.
Purbeck fish The Purbeck Beds are rightly famous for their range of fossil fish, with some 32 species described so far. Lepidotes is one of the commoner forms and is distinguished by having thick, enamelled and rectangular scales which become diamond-shaped towards the tail.
Slowing down decay Called Eoderoceras, this is probably the largest ammonite preserved in iron pyrites that can be picked off the beach in a perfect state. There is a down-side though – pyrite ammonites can decay because the iron sulphide is unstable on contact with oxygen in the air. The best solution is to keep…
One of nature’s success stories Pholidophorus is the only fossil fish from the Purbeck Beds that is related to modern-day fish. Unlike all of the other fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which are armoured and cumbersome animals, Pholidophorus has a modern fish form. It also has different jaws, gill plates and thinner scales.…
A spiny defence Primitive sharks like Asteracanthus and Hybodus (see lower picture), have hard spines on the leading edge of their dorsal fins (along the top of the body). These were to provide protection from predators; if attacked, the shark would stick up these spines, making it very difficult for the attacking animal to swallow…
Like today’s sharks, Hybodus clamped their jaws around their prey and violently shook their heads to slash and kill. Their teeth were not used for chewing; instead their prey were devoured in large chunks.