This is "Fossil Friday" post #118. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
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For Fossil Friday this week, we have a very nice specimen of the Tully Monster from past President of ESCONI, Floyd Rogers. Floyd recently donated some fossils, minerals, and other assorted material, including an exquisite Mazon Creek insect wing, which might belong to an undescribed species. Stay tuned for more information.
Tullymonstrum gregarium is probably the most recognizable Mazon Creek animal species. It was described in 1969 by Ralph Johnson and Eugene Richardson of the Field Museum. The paper "Pennsylvanian Invertebrates of the Mazon Creek Area, Illinois: The Morphology and Affinities of Tullimonstrum" appeared in the Field Museum's journal Fieldiana. In 1989, it was officially designated the State Fossil of Illinois. Since its discovery, its classification has been a puzzle. While recent research might have shed some light on where it belongs on the tree of life, its actual position remains controversial.
This Tully Monster specimen is interesting. It has most of the claw and part of the eye bar. Thanks for the generous donation, Floyd!
