Promicroceras planicosta

Ammonite fossils of the Promicroceras planicosta on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., USA.  Rock plate is from England and the creatures date to the Early Jurassic Period (188-184 million years ago).

I have one of these fossils from Lyme Regis, England.  See it at this previous posting.

Learn more at this entry on Wikipedia.

Ginkgo biloba Fossil

 

A short time ago, I read an informative post on about Ginkgo biloba fossils on my friend's blog: Views of the Mahantango.  Reviewing pictures from a recent trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, they have a display on living fossils which they cover the Ginkgo or Maidenhair Tree (aka Ginkgo biloba).  The text of the display says this tree is what Charles Darwin referred to as the "living fossil".  The plant has is origins over 290 million years ago or the Late Carboniferous Period.

The plant is known for its fan-shaped leaves which can be seen in the fossil pictures.  The above picture is of a Ginkgo digitata of the Jurassic Period found in Spitsbergen.  The last two pictures of a ginkgo leaf fossil found in Montana of the Paleocene.

Microdon bernardi Fish Fossil

A Microdon bernardi fish fossil on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC on August 2010.  This image is a composite of 5 images shot in low light with no tripod.  Fossil labeled at 145 million years old.