Fossils

Megalodon:

Megalodon Tooth

Latin Name: Cacharodon megladon
From: Coastal NC, United States
Facts: Megladon was the largest predatory marine creature to ever exist, a real life sea monster. It was related to modern day Great White sharks. Megalodon would have weighed over 100 tons and lived during the Pliocene and Miocene. It fed on dolphin, whale, and other marine life. Megladon was estimated to be around 98 feet long.

Otodus:

Otodus Death Plate

 

Otodus Death Plate (Close Up)

 

Single Otodus Tooth in Matrix

Latin Name: Otodus obliquus
From: Morocco
Fact: Was the earliest of the mackerel sharks; this makes it the predecessor of megalodon and great white. Otodus lived during the Paleocene and Eocene, and ate large marine mammals, fish, and other sharks. It was estimated to be approximately 30 feet long.

Keichousaurus:

Keichousaurus

From: China
Latin name: Keichousaurus hui
Fact: Keichousarus were marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic. They had long tails and necks with five toed feet to better move in the water. They most likely feed of small fish. Keichousarus are also assumed to have had live births. Keichousarus specimen range on average from 15-30 cm.

Trilobite:

Trilobite (A)

Trilobite (B)

Trilobite (C)

From: A. Morocco
           B. Morocco
           C. Canada
Order: A. Phacopida
            B. Redlichiida
           C. Redlichiida
Fact: Trilobites are an extinct arthropod related to modern day horseshoe crabs. All trilobites were divided into three segments: cephalon (head), thorax (middle), and pygidium (tail). There are over 20,000 described species of trilobites. They moved by crawling, floating, and swimming. Trilobites were herbivores, predators, and scavengers. Also, trilobites ranged from under a millimeter to 70 cm in length.

Knightia:

Knightia

Latin Name: Knightia eocaene
From: Green Fossil Station, Wyoming USA
Fact: Knightia are an extinct genus of fish prevalent in the Green River fm. in Wyoming. They were small fish rarely growing larger than 25 cm. Knightia feed on algae, diatoms, and some smaller fish. They are often found in clusters because they were schooling fish.

Eurypterus:

Eurypterus

Eurypterus (Close Up)

From: Herkimer Co. NY
Lain name: Eurypterus rempies
Fact: Eurypterus are an extinct genus of sea scorpions that lived during the Silurian. They had two paddles that they used to swim (on my specimen one is folded under) and a paddle-like tail. Eurypterus most likely scavenged or hunted for food. Eurypterus are found in the USA and Canada, specifically Ontario and New York region .

Orthoceras:

Orthoceras

Orthoceras Tower

Latin name: Orthoceras Regulare
Fact: Orthoceras lived from the Ordovician to the Jurassic. They are most often found in marine rock such as limestone. They had a long, slender shell, and are often confsued with Baculites.

Coprolite:

Polished Coprolite

Madagascar Turtle Coprolite

Fact: Coprolite are fossilized animal feces.Coprolite might not appear to be much but they are actually important because they record the diet, habits, and feeding behaviors of the animal. They come in every size and shape imaginable, and their color is determined by the soil.

Crustaceans:

Crab

Shrimp

Shrimp (Close Up)

From: Crab- Monte Baldo, Italy
           Shrimp- Solnhofen, Germany
Latin name: Crab- Harpactocarcinus punctulatus
                      Shrimp- N/A
Fact: Crustaceans are part of the arthropods. They have an exoskeleton which they molt periodically throughout their lives. Crustaceans are very diverse and have been around since the Cambrian. There are crustaceans that are living fossils from the Triassic still.

Ammonite:

Ammonite (A)

Ammonite (B)

Ammonite (C)

Ammonite (D)

From: A. Morocco
          B. Madagascar
          C. Morocco
          D. Madagascar

Fact: Ammonites are an extinct group of marine animals related to cuttlefish, octopus, and squids; they ranged from less than an inch to around 9 feet. They existed from the Devonian till the Cretaceous when they became extinct. Ammonites got their name from their tightly-curled shapes which resemble ram's horns. There are several hundred known species that can be found all over the world.

Bivalves:

Clam Geode

From: Ruck's Pit, Florida USA

Latin name: Mercenaria permagna

Facts: As these clams became fossils, the calcium in their shells started to be replaced with honey colored calcite crystals. These clams have "windows" created by ground water that exposes the crystals. These clams were deposited during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene.

Coral:

 

 

 

From: Canada

Fact: Horn coral existed from the Ordicavian to the Permian. This extinct order of coral had multiple different species. Some of the larger types grew to around a meter in length. Horn corals were lived in the benthic zone like most modern coral.

Oreodont:

Oreodont Jaw Piece

 

Family: Merycoidodontidae

Fact:Oreodont were hog sized creatures that lived in North America during the Oligocene and Miocene. Oreodont are the ancestors of modern hippos and camels. They were small mammals that were heavy bodied with four short toes.

Amber:

Polished Amber

 

 

Origin: Amber is fossilized tree resin. As the tree resin moves towards the ground it sometimes picks up insects and debris which become trapped. When amber is found in coal seams it is called resinite.

Crinoid:

Crinoid Stems

From: Tennessee, United States
Fact: Crinoids are members of the echinoderm family. Crinoids are composed of a stem and 5 symmetrical feathery arms that catch food. They originated in the Ordovician and are still around today; they can be found in oceans around the world, just like millions of years ago.

Belemnite:

Order: Belemnitida
Fact: Belemnitida are an extinct order of cephalopds that were like squid. They lived from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. They had a hard internal skeleton which is usually all that is found. 

Petrified Wood:

Petrified Wood

 

Fact: Petrified wood is any tree that has turned into stone through permineralization. They usually become petrified when they are barried under sediment. It can be found all over the world and in some places entired forests were preserved.

Echinoderms:

Helios Sand dollar

Sand Dollar

 

 

Latin name: A. Heliophora orbiculus

                    B. N/A

Fact: Marine animals with five point symmetry. Include sea stars, sand dollars, starfish, sea cucumbers, and other animals. They typically feed off the bottom of the ocean and developed around the Cambrian.