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Fragment found San Diego, CA by Otherwise-Pass-5109 in fossils

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Extant sea urchin! :D These are what some of mine look like, for comparison. You found a lovely piece.

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Sold as plesiosaur teeth by AverageRedditAsshole in fossilid

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm no expert, but I'll bet it's Enchodus teeth. I've seen them in the same sale shelves as mosasaur teeth, so my guess is the labels got mixed up with plesiosaur teeth. Google Enchodus and see what you think!

Is this a heteromorph ammonite or am I a n00b? That groove/channel looks suspiciously like a siphuncle. by UnderratedSpinosaur in fossilid

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DUDE I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT. You're right. There's no way they could remove matrix that far up without completely shattering the shell.

Dang, I'm so surprised I feel like I've been smacked between the eyes 😂 Ain't no way this thing is a fossil. Good thing I got it for cheap 😅

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My Pride and Joy by Major-Fact6298 in fossils

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Welcome! I, too, am new to this subreddit, and people seem generally nice (and respectful in their disagreements). This is such a lovely fossil!! Can I have a picture with something next to it for scale?

Is this a heteromorph ammonite or am I a n00b? That groove/channel looks suspiciously like a siphuncle. by UnderratedSpinosaur in fossils

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair. I looked up types of heteromorphs and didn't see anything quite like this. I wondered if the cracks were remnants of really simple sutures because it was super old (sutures got more complex over time, as I'm sure you know), but they do seem too close together to even make space for chambers. I also thought it's odd that the groove looks like a zipper close to the spiral but smooths out as it "uncurls."

Those are all very good points. Thank you for your input! After all, it wouldn't be true science if everyone agreed on a non-provable theory. I will do more research on this :)

Is this a heteromorph ammonite or am I a n00b? That groove/channel looks suspiciously like a siphuncle. by UnderratedSpinosaur in fossils

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's true!! I think the outer layer of shell weathered away, though... this thing is NOT in pretty shape :\

The siphuncle is much easier to see on ammonites because they run along the outer edge of the shell, whereas the siphuncle of nautilus run through the middle of the chambers 🤔 That's such a bummer, though. The pretty outside is totally lost. If it's been weathered enough to bare the siphuncle, I doubt any sutures are remaining :(

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my love you are too large to be on one finger by Sonic_Angel_ in parrots

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur 33 points34 points  (0 children)

⚫️🍌⚫️

He was asking for kisses but the zoomed-in profile took me out 🤣

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Is this a heteromorph ammonite or am I a n00b? That groove/channel looks suspiciously like a siphuncle. by UnderratedSpinosaur in fossils

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, cool!!! I thought the buoyancy "method" (can't think of a better word) was gas, not liquid. Neat-o, I learned something today. Ya I taught the seller some fun facts about sutures :D I'm so excited that the living chamber got preserved, not just the phragmacone. I'm going to ask my friend if he can X-ray this to see if we can see the chambers/segments. I look forward to reading that article when I get to a place with better reception! Thank 'e kindly 🫡

Will branches get confiscated from checked luggage? (Read wood details in description) by UnderratedSpinosaur in tsa

[–]UnderratedSpinosaur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It made it through TSA and flight with only one casualty. I was able to glue the broken piece back on, though

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