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For all you fossil gurus; a question

Is this lil sucker a trilobite? I found this rock just outside Santa Fe, NM. There's a bunch of medium-sized shells and also crinoid stems, coral and stuff in this rock. There was a crud load of fossils where I found this one, although the only one I've suspected as being a trilobite.

It's kinda hard to show it in this pic, but it's the thingy with ribs. I'm guessing the head got cut off or something. I read though, that the fossils of trilobites are often molted skeletons, and that heads were often missing because of this.

DSCN3347.jpg


Flash seems to show better detail.

DSCN3350.jpg


If this is a trilobite, would it be worth sending it to an expert 'excavator' to dig it out of the rock more?

-Ben
 
It looks like a fern to me but I'm not a paleontologist. If it was with other sea creatures it's probably a trilobite. Unless it's a fern.
 
There's a bunch of medium-sized shells and also crinoid stems, coral and stuff in this rock.

No probably wouldn't be right if there was a fern in the ocean.

-Ben
 
Paleontology was my worst class in geology, so take this with a grain of salt. It doesn't look like a trilobite to me because I don't see a middle lobe. Making it a bilobite. But you're in a state where trilobites are more common than people and, therefore, it certainly could be one. If you're going to invest either money or your own time with a Dremel to better show it off, start with a better specimen.

edit - Ughh ... I just re-read your post and see the rock's from NM. They have plenty of fossiliferous Paleozoic rock too, but my North American geologic map is at work and I don't know what's around Santa Fe.
 
I somehow doubt you'll get a reply for IDing a trilobite from one of the most brilliant paleontologists / evolutionary biologists alive today.

It definitely looks like a trilobite to me, but given the condition, I wouldn't think it would be worth excavating, since it's probably just a molt, not the whole animal.

Mokele
 
I dunno. The curator staff at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History has always been helpful to students. The most common thing they do is identify insects and spiders that kids catch and bring in. Dr. Eldredge would have a research staff and interns that probably handle stuff like this. What's it going to hurt send off an email? At worst Ben would get a form letter response saying they don't handle such requests.
 
I somehow doubt you'll get a reply for IDing a trilobite from one of the most brilliant paleontologists / evolutionary biologists alive today.



Mokele


depends on how busy they are and their general attitude................Robert Bakker and Jack Horner are easy to chat with. Bakkers just fun to sit and watch talk, hes got so much energy its damn near infectious. ive got a large signed drawing of a dinosaur from one of his talks i attended a couple years ago.
 
  • #10
Where do you collect those rusty trilobites? Not the exactly spot, if you want to preserve it. Is it generally a rusty weathering rock or are just the fossils rusty?
 
  • #11
Fossil trilobites are actually not all that uncommon. And usually they are left in the rock they are found in. Since fossilization basically turns them into "rock", it would be difficult to separate the fossil from the surround matrix.

If I remember, what I can do is download your photos and pass them on to one of my rock club's fossil experts. I have his email addy so I can send him the pics and ask him if he knows what it is. He's quite good with fossil ID. He hunts fossils and has all kinds of cleaning equipment.

Actually now that I think about it, I could email Bob Simon. He is another one of our club members who is a commercial dinosaur hunter. He found the 3rd best example of a stegasaurus which was excavated 3-4 years ago and sent to Sweden for final cleaning and assembly. She has just returned to the U.S. and is now in the process of being marketed. Bob just uncovered part another large dinosaur--a 20-foot tail section and he is very excited about what he might find this summer digging this one.

Bob owns/runs Dinosaur Safari out in Shelle, Wyoming. You can make arrangements to go out and dig on his excavation site if hunting for dinosaur bones is something you've always wanted to do. His website is www.dinosaursafaris.com. Bob is a cool guy and people have a blast digging out there and usually find lots of stuff.

http://www.dinosaursafaris.com/test.html
 
  • #13
Yeah...Bob is a fascinating guy. He really knows his dinos. I think it would be an awsome trip to go dig dinosaur bones. Right now, because of the new find, he wants people who really want to come out and help him dig the find. Its tedious labor but he loves it. He's spoken twice at our rock club. Fascinating slides and he brings in his bones. Anyone looking for a unique (not "VERY unique"...just "unique"... ;) @ Schloaty... :-P-: ) vacation should give it a try.
 
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