German Ichthyosaur Fossil

The following pictures are some I took while on a tour of the Cincinnati Museum Center Geier Collection and Research Center recently. The curator told us a group in Germany offered to give the museum this specimen if they would pay the postage. The museum agreed and here the fossil is still in its packing crate. One restriction mentioned is that fossils of pregnant Ichthyosaurs ("fish lizard") are not allowed out of the country.

It was a marine reptile from the Jurassic Period. It was a very nice gift from Germany.

Budding Horn Corals - Entelophyllum?

This could be an Entelophyllum coral. This specimen was found in the Louisville Limestone. It existed during the Middle Silurian Period and was found in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

I am amazed at all the budding horn corals that were preserved in this piece.

Hemiaster whitei (Sea Urchin Fossil)

Some before and after pictures of a Hemiaster whitei fossilized sea urchin. It is from Turrant County, Texas (Goodland Formation). The creature existed in the Cretaceous Period.

It had some matrix all over it but the air abrasive unit removed the matrix in short order. This specimen is about the size of a prune. Same specimen in all four pictures. The top two show the fossil's topside and the bottom two show what it looked


This next one is a work in progress. An engraving tool has been used to remove the matrix off some of the fossil. Now an air abrasive is used to clean to the surface detail. This specimen is about the size of a chicken egg.