This large cephalopod was found in Brush Creek Limestone locally. The body chamber is large and is part of the demineralized layer that is a bit softer. I have spent a few bits of time working away from the limestone while trying to preserve the fossilized shell layer. The shellRead More →
Since my last Solenochilus, it’s been a while since I’ve found something very interesting. This evening I picked up a large rock, drove the 6lb sledge into it on edge and this nice specimen popped off the limestone boulder. The shell detail is really nice, making it easy to identify.Read More →
This is the largest Solenochilus I have found to date. It was found as part of an interesting array of fossils that included Metacoceras, Petalodus and a Trilobite pygidium all in close proximity. As I was removing the Petalodus, I noticed the shell curve, but it was buried in limestone.Read More →
This week I found a third Solenochilus, this one with a still attached lateral spine. Solenochilus has a unique feature in a pair of lateral spines that were assumed to be used to help the creature swim in a stabilized nature. In numerous specimen photos I’ve seen, I have notRead More →
The genus Solenochilus was first described by Meek & Worthen in 1870. Found next to a burn pile, the piece of limestone this specimen belonged to was cooked at high heat for a length of time. The pit was used to burn occasional garbage. A number of pieces of BrushRead More →
Limestone found in water usually yields better specimens. The water works its way into the cracks and crevices within the rock and specimens often come out easier compared to dry limestone. This specimen of Metacoceras is one of my best ones yet, coming out in once piece and showing aRead More →
This speicmen is one of the best of the genus Metacoceras that I currently have. Metacoceras is one of the two most common species of cephalopod found in the Brush Creek Limestone. I have difficulty assigning a species. Even in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, there is a belief thatRead More →
I often find the body chambers of these cephalopods embedded in limestone. They come out as one piece but rarely are attached to the body. A specimen I freed today had two suture lines on it. Having a collapsed area on the chamber is another common feature, one that leavesRead More →
A crescent shell indention showed up on the flat top of a piece of limestone. I thought maybe a large clam shell, but at this point I should know better. I hammered the rock for a while, thinking that maybe a piece would break off and reveal part of theRead More →
First described by G. H. Girty in 1912 as found in Oklahoma. This specimen was 3/4 exposed as attached to a rock. I am not positive, but I believe it would break into more than one piece if I attempted to remove it. I am always finding either Pseudorthoceras orRead More →