Browse Items (155 total)

(DSM #M261) This extinct genus of Nautilus lived in seas from the Late Jurassic until the Miocene.

(DSM #CH9) Zygorhiza kochii along with Basilosaurus cetoides is the other ancient toothed whale that serves as state fossil of Mississippi.

(unnumbered) Coprolites are trace fossils that can tell us a lot about the diet and physiology of a creature.

(DSM #10716) This Mosasar shoulder blade shows signs of being scavenged by shark after death. This indicates that the creature was on the sea floor for a while after it died.

(DSM #EC74) These worm burrows show the tunnelling behavior of one species of marine worms.

(DSM #M410) This Turritellid snail has been completely replaced with the mineral pyrite. Some pyrite nodules have also begun to form and grow.

(DSM #10565) This brachiopod has had its shell partially replaced by the mineral pyrite. Pyrite is also known as fool's gold.

(unnumbered) Petrified wood often exhibits a combination of replacement and permineralization. This specimen clearly shows how the cell walls have been replaced with minerals. The cells themselves are also filled in some cases.

(DSM #PL58) This section of palm wood very clearly shows how individual cells of an organism can be filled with minerals in the process of permineralization.

(unnumbered) Compression fossils most often form in sedimentary rocks called shales which form in the bottom of lake or sea beds. The same fossil can be seen in both the part and counterpart but different features are often preserved on both sides.…