Scaphopod, Ostracod and Gastropod Fossils

Above is a picture of  Dentalium scaphopod, ostracod and gastropod fossils. These animals existed in the Mississippian Period. They were found in the Blue River Group of the St. Louis layer of Harrison County, Indiana USA. Thanks to Kenny for the image.

Amplexus Pyrite Horn Coral

This fossil is a pyritized horn coral. The identification appears to be Amplexus fragilis (White & St. John) of the Coral Ridge fauna, New Providence Shale of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Time period for this specimen is Middle Mississippian (Osagean). It was found by a local geology professor Barbara Conkin years ago.

Psammodus? Fossil Tooth Plate

My cousin back from a recent field expedition found a large (5 cm) tooth-plate fossil. It appears to be a holocephalan known as Psammodus (Agassiz, 1834). The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period and was found in Grayson County, Kentucky USA.

 Thanks Kenny for the images.

 

 

Bryozoan on Crinoid Fossil

This fossil is a bryozoan anchored on to a crinoid column. It was found in the Glen Dean formation of Grayson County, Kentucky USA. The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

Cladochonus beecheri Coral Fossil on Crinoid

These pictures are of what appears to be a Cladochonus beecheri (Grabau, 1899 aka Monilopora) coral fossil that had grown on a crinoid column. Fossil found in the New Providence Formation of Clark County, Indiana USA. It dates to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

Bicidiocrinus wetherbyi Crinoid Calyx Fossil

This fossil appears to be a Bicidiocrinus wetherbyi (Wachsmuth and Springer, 1886). It was found in the Glen Dean formation of Grayson County, Kentucky USA. The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

 

Petalodus Shark Tooth Fossil

These pictures show a Petalodus (Hall, 1858) shark tooth fossil. They were found in the Glen Dean Formation of Grayson County, Kentucky USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

Worm Tube Fossil

These pictures are of a worm tube fossil. Fossil found in the New Providence Formation of Clark County, Indiana USA. It dates to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

 

Unidentified Paleozoic Shark Tooth Fossil

These pictures show an unidentified shark tooth fossil. It was found in the Salem Limestone of Hardin County, Kentucky USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the image.

Petalodus Shark Tooth Fossil

 

These pictures show a Petalodus (Hall, 1858) shark tooth fossil. They were found in the Salem Limestone of Hardin County, Kentucky USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.

 

Globoendothyra baileyi Fossil

 

This picture shows some Globoendothyra baileyi (Hall, 1858) foraminifera fossils. They were found in the Salem Limestone of Hardin County, Kentucky USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the image.

Deltodus Shark Tooth Fossil

Picture of what appears to be a Deltodus shark tooth fossil found in the Salem Formation of Hardin County Kentucky USA. It dates to the Mississippian Period. 

Thanks to Kenny for the picture.

Batocrinus icosidactylus Crinoid Calyx

 

This crinoid calyx fossil pictured above is known as Batocrinus icosidactylus (Casseday, 1854). It was found in the Salem Limestone of Lanesville, Harrison County, Indiana USA. The fossil dates to the Middle Mississippian Period. 

The fossil was named by Samuel Addison Casseday (1831-1860), a Louisville area paleontologist.

This crinoid fossil was once part of the collection of southern Indiana paleontologist George K. Greene (1835-1917). It appeared that all of Greene's fossil collection was sold to American Museum of Natural History in New York City after his death but as it turns out there was one cabinet not sold and was past down to his descendants. 

This fossil is now on display at the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretive Center till September 2024 after that it will be transferred to the Indiana State Museum. George Greene's great-great-grandson William "Bill" Bishop passed away on November 29, 2023 and his wish that fossils be donated.

Petalodis Shark Tooth Fossil

 

 

The pictures shown in this post are of a freshly found shark tooth fossil from the Glen Dean Formation of Grayson County, Kentucky, USA. It appears to be a Petalodis (Owen, 1840) and dates to the Mississippian Period. This genus was named by the English paleontologist Richard Owen (1804-1892).

Thanks to Kenny for the pictures.

Culmicrinus elegans Crinoid Fossil

 

This fossil appears to be a Culmicrinus elegans (Wachsmuth & Springer, 1897) crinoid calyx. It was found in the Chester Group of Glen Dean Formation in southern Indiana USA. The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period. The fossil is about 9 cm tall.

Agassizocrinus? Crinoid Fossil

 

In 2012, I posted a crinoid calyx fossil which was identified as a Phanocrinus nitidus. Recently, I revisited this fossil and took some new pictures of what might be an Agassizocrinus. The matrix it is in also contains a very nice Archimedes bryozoan and an unknown brachiopod. The specimen was found in southern Indiana, USA and dates to Mississippian Period. The crinoid is about 3 cm in length.

Zeacrinites wortheni Crinoid Calyx

This fossil was found in the Glen Dean Member of Grayson County, Kentucky USA. It is a crinoid calyx fossil that appears to be a Zeacrinites wortheni (Hall, 1858). The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period. The next three pictures show it from three more sides. Rule is in one centimeter blocks.

 

Fossils At Kentucky Rest Stop

 

A few weekends ago, we stopped at a Huck's Market (675 Western Kentucky Parkway, Beaver Dam, Kentucky) at on our way to a wedding in western Kentucky. While out stretching my legs, I examined a few boulders near the gas station/rest stop and found some fossils. The boulder located in the grass next to the parking lot near fuel pumps contained mostly crinoid stem and some brachiopods fossils. I am guessing they date to the Mississippian Period.

Straparollus planispira Gastropod Fossil

 

This fossil appears to be a Straparollus planispira (Cumings, 1906) gastropod fossil. It was found by Lucien Beckner (1872-1963) in 1928 in Breck County Kentucky, USA. The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period.

Source:

https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=73633&is_real_user=0

Pentremites godoni Blastoid Fossils

 

Picture of a number of blastoid fossils that appear to be Pentremites godoni (Defrance, 1819). They were found by Lucien Beckner (1872-1963) in Meade County, Kentucky USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. This picture was taken last year and since then the fossils have been cleaned. Hopefully will post some new pictures soon.

The Kentucky Geological Survey has a nice web page about blastoid fossils. Go there to learn all kinds of interesting information, for instance, the first blastoid described in 1808 literature was from western Kentucky.