This is Mazon Monday post #185. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected].
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The Tully Monster was named the state fossil in 1989. Unfortunately, this was about two years after Francis Tully, it's namesake, had passed away.
The following article appeared in the April 1989 edition of the ESCONI newsletter. It was written by Jim and Sylvia Konecny. Jim was president of ESCONI in 1966 and 1967. Both, he an Sylvia were very active in ESCONI from the early 1960's until the 1970's. After they moved to Prescott, AZ in 1974, they continued to participate by writing articles for the ESCONI newsletter and other related magazines.
THE NAMING OF THE TULLY MONSTER
Jim and Sylvia Konecny
We have heard many queries concerning the naming of the Tully Monster. Having been present at the time the Tully Monster received it's name we feel qualified to comment on this subject.
There are no doubt some readers unfamiliar with this strange beastie, therefore, we make a short description. The Tully Monster is a wormlike animal of unknown affinities. It has an elephant- like proboscis that terminates with a toothed claw. The eyes are on stalks that extend from the sides. The tail is horizontal and somewhat diamond shaped.
There are no other appendages. Some specimens show apparent segmentation, however, it is unclear whether these are actual segments or merely wrinkles or folds.
In the original description (1), plus a subsequent paper (2), it was placed in Phylum: indeterminate Class: indeterminate. However since then one author has placed it in Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda, determining that it is a shell-less planktic gastropod (3). We personally have not heard of anyone else agreeing with that assessment. There are numerous other unpublished speculations. However, the Tully monster still remains an enigma. Its range is very restricted, having been found only in ironstone concretions of the Francis Creek Shale Member of the Carbon- dale Formation and appears in only three locations Pit 11 near Essex, Chowder Flats at Morris and Sunspot Mine near Astoria. All are in Illinois. The most notable is Pit 11.
In the late 1950's and early 1960's members of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI) as well as other amateur collectors made frequent trips to the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) to have George Langford, Curator of Fossil Plants, help in identifying specimens that were found in the Mazon Creek Area. Among these collectors was a gentleman named Francis Tully. However, instead of the usual plant material he was bringing in various forms of animal life from a secret location in the strip mine hills. Among the shrimps, worms, etc. was a strange looking creature.
This unusual animal aroused the curiosity of Dr. Eugene S. Richardson, Jr., Curator of Invertebrate Fossils, whose office adjoined George Langford's. Francis Tully was requested to bring more specimens for study to which he obliged. Dr. Richardson showed the specimens to many of his colleagues none of whom was able to identify this unique animal.
On one of our visits to the Field Museum to retrieve a loaned specimen from Dr. Richardson he inquired if we had seen any of these strange creatures. Since we had not he offered to show us some specimens that were laid out on a table in George Langford's office. While we were viewing the specimens Dr. Rainer Zangerl, Geology Department Head, walked into the office in search of Dr. Richardson. Seeing us viewing the specimens he exclaimed "Are those some more of Tully's monsters?". The name stuck and Richardson utilized it to the fullest. After all, the thought of monsters evokes much attention. In naming this creature Dr. Richardson wanted to retain the name Tully moster, therefore he Latinized it calling it Tullimonstrum gregarium -gregarium meaning common. This was Richardson's way of chiding his colleagues that this rare, unusual fossil is plentiful in his own back yard (4)
Subsequently it was determined the Mr. Tully's location was a private club adjacent to Peabody Coal Company's Pit 11. Since the spoil heaps of these two locations were contiguous and Pit 11 was open to collectors, the monster search began.
REFERENCES and Notes:
1. Richardson, Eugene S., Jr. 1966 Wormlike fossil from the Pennsylvanian of Illinois Science, Vol. 151, No. 3706
2. Johnson, Ralph Gordon and Eugene S. Richardson, Jr. 1969. The morphology and affinities of Tullimonstrum. Fieldiana: Geology, Vol. 12, No.8.
3. Foster, Merrill W. 1979. A reappraisal of Tullimonstrum gregarium. Mazon Creek Fossils, Matthew H. Nitecki, Ed.
4. Richardson, Eugene S., Jr., 1966 Personal communication.
The two illustrations are taken from 'Bulletin Field Museum of Natural History' Vol. 37, No. 7, July 1966.
NOTE: Illinois legislation now has a House Bill to designate the Tully Monster as the State Fossil.
