Elrathia kingii Trilobite

 

My cousin Kenny just finished prepping this fossil using a dental tool and engraver to uncover mostly a whole trilobite. It appears to be an Elrathia kingii (Meek, 1870) trilobite. It was found in the Wheeler Formation of Delta, Utah. The fossil dates to the Cambrian Period.

AMNH Video Tour of Trilobite Collection

 

On Friday, July 24, 2020 the American Museum of Natural History streamed live a presentation by Melanie Hopkins Associate Curator in the Division of Paleontology and PhD student Ernesto Vargas-Parra. They hosted a brief virtual tour of part of the museum's trilobite collection on the fifth floor. 

At around 1:45, it looks like they start off with a famous locality for Cambrian trilobites from Utah. Around 8:20 in the video, a Silurian Trimerus trilobite fossil shows up maybe from New York's Rochester Shale. The next plate has quite a few trilobites mixed with brachiopods with maybe some being Calymene. At 9:40 a cluster of Silurian Dalmanites trilobite fossils followed by a box with three more Trimerus and ending with one large Trimerus. What looks like an Estonian graptolite fossil shows up at the 12:20 mark in the video. It looks somewhat odd to me being white as all the graptolite fossils I tend to find are black. By the time the video is at 18 minute mark, I think they are looking at Moroccan trilobite fossils.

I visited the museum in July 2018 and I do not recall very many trilobite fossils being no display so this video was a great way to see the collection area that few members of the public get to see. When I was there, I found a display case in the lower level with some wonderful display grade specimens. See picture above. I have documented most of the fossils seen in the case in previous postings on this blog.

If the video player does not display in your browser, here is the direct YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x4xI9KupaY Recently, every Friday at 1 PM EST they present another museum video, hopefully we will get to see some more of the fossil collection.

Agatized Dinosaur Bone Fossil

Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie which is part of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle of Paris France had these two dinosaur fossils on display. The specimens were found in Utah, USA.

Apatosaurus Skull/Vertebrae Fossils

Pictured is the fossilized skull and the first four cervical or neck vertebrae of an Apatosaurus sp. dinosaur. It was found by the staff and students of Marietta College at a site in Morrison Formation of Emery County, Utah, USA. The fossil dates to the Upper Jurassic Period (about 150 million years ago).

The fossil was collected as part of joint research program with the Cincinnati Museum Center (accession number VP7180).

The picture only shows the first four vertebrae of the more than dozen recovered at the site. This dinosaur was once known as the Brontosaurus.

Fossil on display at Cincinnati Museum of Natural History & Science as of August 2013.

Learn more about this dinosaur at wikipedia.org.

Meekoceras Ammonoid Fossil

This ammonoid fossil appears to be a Meekoceras sp. It was found in the Thaynes Formation of Salt Lake County, Utah. It dates to early Triassic Period.

Thanks to Nathan for this fossil. Recently, he visited the Louisville area with a group of students from the University of Wisconsin and we exchanged some fossils. They were very dedicated and impressive in their fossil searching capabilities. We visited a number of local sites and collected for hours in the rain, sleet and snow. Brrr, it was cold and wet. Lots of neat fossils were found, including a Silurian cystoid, a spiny brachiopod, trilobite segments, a giant snail, colonial coral colony, and lots of ziplock bags of fossils. After Louisville, they had more areas to visit around the midwest to find fossils at.

Utah Dinosaur Bone

Unidentified dinosaur bone cross section found in the Morrison Formation of Utah.  The fossil appears to be from the Jurassic Period.  Dimensions of specimen are 3" x 2.75" x 0.03125-0.5" with a weight of 3.8 oz. Acquired on eBay from seller pondcityrocks.

Cambrian Trilobites of Utah

A Modocia typicalis trilobite fossil of the Cambrian Period (570-500 million years ago). Fossil was found in Utah.

Picture below of a Tricrepicephalus corri Cambrian Period trilobite fossil found in Utah.

Both fossils were on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (August 2010).

Cambrian Trilobite

This trilobite is found in the Wheeler Formation of Antelope Spring, Utah.

It is probably an Agnostid ("double-headed") and is from the Cambrian Period.

Thanks to Herb for the fossil.

Pycnodonte Oyster Fossil

This fossil is an extinct oyster from the family Gryphaeidae. It is called Pycnodonte newberyii from the Cretaceous Period and the Turonian Age. The fossil was found in Utah probably near the Tununk layer of the Mancos Shale near Dakota Sandstone. Might also be known as the "Devil's Toenail."