Babylonia areolata Gastropod

 

Today I am posting about a modern gastropod and not a fossil. It is called Babylonia areolata (Link, 1807) snail and it can grow up to 6 cm in size. The creatures live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and exist down to about 10 meters. They are important food source in some countries. 

A co-worker had a vial of the shells that someone brought back as a souvenir from a ocean beach vacation. She gave them to me as I was curious as to what the shell species was. My guess is the snails were caught and cooked and the shells cleaned and then sold to become souvenirs in beach side shops in tourist locations.

Alpena Michigan Coral Fossil

 

These pictures are of a Hexagonaria anna (Whitfield, 1973) coral fossil. It was found in the Bell Shale of the Traverse Group of Alpena County, Michigan, USA. The coral lived in the Devonian Period. Fossil was found October 2021.

 

Ammonoid or Gastropod?... That Is the Question.

 Here are some pictures of a recent find at one of our work sites in Bullitt County Kentucky USA. It appears to be from the Louisville Limestone or might be dolomite. It dates to the Silurian Period.

Thanks to Levi for the fossil and now we will try to remove some of the matrix to see if any patterns are left from the shell that might give a clue as to what this creature was and maybe its name.

The bottom of the rock has an imprint of a bryozoan fossil.