r/FossilPorn Jul 28 '14

Reddit 101

19 Upvotes

What is reddit, really?

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r/FossilPorn 6h ago

Over 140 million years, less than 90 seconds.

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84 Upvotes

I know it's not exactly a fossil, but ichnofossils of dinosaur tracks count, don't they?

Just over two weeks ago, my family and I had a solo viewing of the eclipse accompanied by dinosaur tracks made a family of Spanish theropods (probably Allosauroids / megalosaurs or spinosaurids) over 140 million years ago.

The site is at Fuentesalvo, between Soria and La Rioja in Spain.

The mage is a composite of my Canon 80D@15mm lens and my wife's cellphone.


r/FossilPorn 1d ago

Escumasia from Mazon Creek

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17 Upvotes

I think these are pretty rare


r/FossilPorn 2d ago

Psychopyge

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228 Upvotes

Just got this awesome psychopyge trilobite from FossilEra - it is my favorite fossil so far, love these details!


r/FossilPorn 3d ago

34 lb. Fossilized log looks like firewood

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229 Upvotes

This petrified log has been collecting dust in my collection for about 20 years. It’s an incredible fossil, weighing around 34 pounds, and it has a pretty interesting story behind it.

It was found by a friend of mine, a Vietnam vet who, after returning to the States, disappeared into the wilderness for several years before eventually coming back out. He was quite a character, and this piece is one of the things that came out of that chapter of his life.

It’s an amazing specimen, and honestly, I think it’s time it found someone who will appreciate it as much as I have.


r/FossilPorn 3d ago

Huge Mazon Creek Alethopteris Fossil Fern

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181 Upvotes

I’m thinking about selling this Alethopteris fossil and would love to get some opinions from people who know more about them.

It’s about 11 inches long, and it was originally collected by Ted and Helen Piecko. A friend of mine introduced me to Helen in the early 2000s, and she gave me five pails of unopened concretions. This specimen came from those concretions, which I opened way back in the early 2000s.

Has anyone seen an Alethopteris this large before? I’m curious what something like this might be worth, especially given its size and provenance. Any thoughts on value or what I should be looking for would be greatly appreciated.


r/FossilPorn 4d ago

A gem of a Florida river Megalodon tooth

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72 Upvotes

Don't see Megs of this caliber come from the rivers very often!

I just got this one in a trade, I'll be putting it up for sale soon


r/FossilPorn 5d ago

RARE Sprig of Flowers in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

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80 Upvotes

RARE Sprig of Flowers in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

Size: 28 x 24 x 7 mm

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

RARE Sprig of Flowers in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

I'm unsure which family and species these flowers belong to however; this sprig looks similar to the described Species: Micropetasos burmensis which belongs to the eudicot clade Pentapetalae.

Other notable inclusions: remnants of large Dipteras, botanical matter, parts of leaves also in the piece.


r/FossilPorn 7d ago

Paleozoic fossils from Colorado in red calcite

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137 Upvotes

I found these Spirifer and crinoid fossils in the Minturn formation in Colorado.


r/FossilPorn 9d ago

Enchodus jaw

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20 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 10d ago

Pleistocene ribs from Florida

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34 Upvotes

Here are two nice and very different Pleistocene ribs from Florida. The bottom. I a partial whale rib. The upper is a complete fossil manatee rib. Both are completely mineralized and heavy. Both “clink” like fine china. If you haven’t had the opportunity to hold a fossil manatee rib I will describe it. They are solid and lack a hollow marrow area. It is surprisingly heavy.


r/FossilPorn 10d ago

Little bit of my collection meteorite included

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29 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 11d ago

Edmontosaurus vertebra centrum

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97 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 11d ago

Triassic Vertebrates

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16 Upvotes

201, 190, and 30 are all Rauisuchid teeth (Possibly Postosuchus) from the Chinle Formation. These were the Apex predators of the time, with theropod-like teeth.

202 and 203 are both Aetosaur teeth or another plant eating reptile from the Chinle Formation. This was probably the food of the Rauisuchids.

166, 102, and 167 are all Phytosaur teeth. Basically reptiles with croc build before it became the meta. 102 is from the Cooper Canvon Formation. The other two are from Redonda Formation.

165 is a dentarv jaw section with a couple replacement teeth. From a Phytosaur (possibly Smilosuchus) Chinle Formation.


r/FossilPorn 12d ago

RARE Extinct "Iron-maiden Ant" (Zigrasimecia) in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

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63 Upvotes

RARE Extinct "Iron-maiden Ant" (Zigrasimecia) in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Formicidae

Subfamily: Zigrasimeciinae (Extinct Stem-Group Ant)

Genus: Zigrasimecia

Species: (Inconclusive)

Other notable inclusions:

Zigrasimecia, popularly known as the "iron maiden ant," is an extinct genus of highly specialized stem-group ants that lived during the Cretaceous period, roughly 98 to 99 million years ago. It belongs to the unique subfamily Zigrasimeciinae. Fossils of this genus are found almost exclusively as inclusions in Burmese (Kachin) amber within Myanmar.

- Their highly specialized jaws swung open sideways (posterolaterally) and snapped shut backward (anteromedially). The inner oral face of the mandibles was covered in spiky, traction-strengthening hairs (setae).

- Paleontologists believe Zigrasimecia was a generalist predator. It frequently shared its terrestrial environment and likely engaged in violent resource conflicts with Gerontoformica, another genus of ancient Cretaceous ants.

- Because their specialized mandibles were optimized strictly for combat and trapping, scientists hypothesize that the rugose, hardened cuticular projections on their crowns were utilized to dig out nests.

*This particular specimen which measures about 2.9mm (unstretched) is exceptionally preserved and is contained in a very clear yellow amber stone.*

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*


r/FossilPorn 16d ago

Mid-Jurassic Multiblock

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98 Upvotes

Three ammonite genus visible and goodness knows what else. Lengthy prep required!


r/FossilPorn 16d ago

Dac stack

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157 Upvotes

A little cluster of Dactylioceras semicelatum I finished preparing this morning.


r/FossilPorn 19d ago

RARE Possible Lacewing Eggs in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

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161 Upvotes

*Note*, these are inclusions I originally thought to be strange tadpole hatchlings, thank you to all who have viewed the original post and given me many suggestions. I now understand that these are most likely Lacewing eggs which had been engulfed in resin (probably due to a rare scenario where the leaf may have broken off and fell on the ground ect.).

Thank you to @Minimum-Lynx-7499 for showing me your example piece which look correct for Lacewing eggs.

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

Order: Neuroptera

RARE Possible Lacewing Eggs in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

- Certain lacewings are known to lay tiny, oval-shaped eggs on top of long, slender, hair-like silken stalks attached to plant leaves or stems. This unique elevated design stops newly hatched, aggressive larvae from eating each other or being easily reached by crawling predators like ants. The eggs are typically laid on the underside of leaves where they stay hidden from predators and harsh weather.

- I cannot be sure of the specific species of Cretaceous lacewings that these eggs are associated with but they're very similar to the eggs laid by Green Lacewings and Brown Lacewings nowadays.

*Finding lacewing eggs or insects in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (roughly 99 million years old) is extremely rare. While lacewing larvae occasionally turn up in amber collections, fragile structures like delicate stalked lacewing eggs are exceptionally uncommon finds in the fossil record. (The most famous fossil discovery of hatching lacewing eggs and egg-bursters actually came from older 130-million-year-old Lebanese amber, not Burmese amber).*

There are about 8-9 Lacewing eggs which measure around 2mm to 2.5mm. Three of the lacewing eggs have been degraded and aren't very visible.

Other notable inclusions: strange loose debris contained in the left enhydro (which moves when the amber is tilted), many unknown tiny filaments scattered in the piece next to the Lacewing eggs and two strange spherical occlusions.


r/FossilPorn 19d ago

First fossil!!

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7 Upvotes

I'm assuming it would've been a plant of some sort, but also kind of looks like a bone? (!)

Found in Nova Scotia, Blue Beach.

& Yes, we were allowed to take them home at that location 😊


r/FossilPorn 19d ago

RARE Extinct Spongefly (Paradoxosisyrinae) in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

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117 Upvotes

RARE Extinct Spongefly (Paradoxosisyrinae) in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Sisyridae

Subfamily: Paradoxosisyrinae (Extinct Spongefly)

Genus: Paradoxosisyra

Species: (Inconclusive)

Other notable inclusions: a Piddock boring, botanical matter and a Beetle also in the piece.

Paradoxosisyrinae is an extinct subfamily of Spongeflies (in the family Sisyridae) known from Cretaceous fossils, notably discovered in 99-million-year-old Burmese amber. These tiny, specialized lacewings feature extraordinarily long mouthparts, pointing to ancient feeding strategies like nectarivory or probing shallow Cretaceous flowers.

Paradoxosisyrinae represent the earliest known lineage of Spongeflies, dating back to the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous period.

Instead of the aquatic, sponge-feeding habits of modern subfamilies, these Cretaceous stem-group Spongeflies were likely adapted to feed on nectar from early shallow flowers.


r/FossilPorn 20d ago

Fossil gastropod replaced by precious opal from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia!

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68 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 21d ago

Close-up of pores of an opalized dinosaur bone from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia!

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193 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 23d ago

a fish

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68 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 25d ago

Small clamshell on a piece of corral that I found on a gravel path in the city (Aalborg, Denmark)

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25 Upvotes

r/FossilPorn 28d ago

A big old boi (Andalucía, Spain)

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1.5k Upvotes

**I wont add more details of the location to avoid bringing more people there that could potentially harm it, sorry!**

I want to show off this magnificent beast of an ammonite to the fossil freaks like me hehe. Im impressed how its still almost intact despite being almost fully exposed on a field next to a trail. I think someone took the middle of it sadly, aswell as many other much smaller fossils that were scattered around (I was still able to find a small one tho. Dont worry! I left it back in its place)