Dry Dredgers Field Trip
June 11, 2005
Search for Noids, Pods and Zoas!
Page 4: Special Awards
After the hunt, the kids gathered to examine their finds and to prepare for
the Best Fossil Contest.
The Best Fossil contest had categories for the best Brachiopod, best clam
fossil, best snail fossil, best Cephalopod, biggest Brachiopod, smallest Brachiopod and
a special award for the most rare and interesting fossil. A line was formed as the
judges systematically selected the winners.
The winner of the special award for the most rare and interesting fossil went to
this young man (below) who found a one-of-a-kind, and potential windfall for
Paleontology!. Congratulations !!! He was awarded a copy of the Cincinnati
Museum Center's guide to our local fossils, called "Cincinnati
Fossils", edited by Dr. Richard A. Davis. This book is the book we
recommend for starting out in Cincinnati area fossil collecting. It's a great
book for all ages.
His fantastic find was this very interesting Conularia! The
Conularia has a pyramid-shaped shell. One of the things that make this
particular specimen special is that it was encrusted with a Bryozoan and then
broken open to expose the inside. The Bryozoan helped preserve the delicate
ridged pattern on the surfaces of the Conularia. It also preserved
the 3-dimmensional shape of the Conularia. Usually Conularia fossils are
flattened before they are fossilized. Take a look at the picture of this
wonderful specimen.
Click here for a picture of a 3-D Conularia fossil without a bryozoan.
The Fossil Book, Fenton, 1958
Here is the Conularia might have looked like in life, via an
artists rendition.
But wait! There is another reason why this fossil is even MORE special. Inside the Conularia,
attached to the inside surface, there appears to be an annelid worm tube, called
Cornulites (shown with red arrow below). How did a worm attach to
an inside surface? Perhaps the Bryozoan continued to grow after the Conularia
died and when the shell broke open in the currents, became home to this tube worm. Perhaps.
Anyway, it's an interesting look into our distant past. GREAT FIND GUY!
The first runner-up for the most rare and interesting fossil is this
beautiful fossil algae called Cyclocrinites.
(shown below). We call these fossils "Ordovician Golf Balls" because
they are round and have dimples all over them and look a lot like a fossil golf
ball!
Click here for a picture of another Cyclocrinites from another field trip.
Third runner-up is this large but partial specimen of the Edrioasteroid,
Isorophus.
This species of Edrioasteroid is Cincinnati's city
fossil.
Here are the special award winners and runners up!
Next Page: The Contest Winners
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: The Hunt Begins
Page 3: Pics of Families Collecting Fossils
Page 4: Special Awards
Page 5: Contest Winners
Page 6: Other Fossils Found That Day
Back to Field Trip Index
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