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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Scolecodonts and Trickery

UPDATE: My original post listed the fossils in the following pictures as conodonts.  After some feedback from Shamalama and Herb, they informed me that some are trilobite cephalon fragments and others are scolecodonts.   I have edited this post to reflect the correct information.  Okay, I had to correct this post a second time since I assumed the trilobite was a Cryptolithus when it appears to be a Acidaspis.

These first three fossils are scolecodonts. Fossils found in the Kope Formation of Carroll County, Kentucky usually consist of just their jaw remains. These fossils date to the Ordovician Period.

 

  

  

These last three images are of cephalon (front part) of a trilobite (maybe Acidaspis?).  The Kope Formation location I was at has quite a lot of larger fragments.  See the comb like structure fooled me into thinking they were broken off teeth.  I need to be more careful next time!