What Plant or Coral Fossil Did I Find and How Old Is It?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the identification of a fossil discovered on a beach in France, with participants exploring its possible classification as a plant or coral and speculating on its age. The conversation includes various hypotheses regarding the nature of the fossil and its origins.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest the fossil may be a type of coral or sponge, with multiple mentions of coral as a possibility.
  • Others propose it could be a tooth, possibly from a mastodon or woolly mammoth, although this claim is met with skepticism.
  • One participant notes that the intricate lines in the fossil resemble structures of organisms that filter nutrients from seawater.
  • A later reply indicates that the fossil might not be very old, suggesting that many plant fossils are typically flat imprints.
  • A curator from a museum suggests it is a modern stony reef-building coral, likely not from France, and discusses the characteristics that differentiate fossils from modern specimens.
  • Another participant identifies it as rose coral with high certainty, referencing external sources for confirmation.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the specific type of coral, with mentions of blue specks and the possibility of it being a large-polyp stony coral.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the fossil is likely coral, with some suggesting it may be rose coral. However, there remains uncertainty regarding its exact classification and age, with multiple competing views on its nature and origin.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions regarding the fossil's age and classification, as well as its geographical origin, with some participants suggesting it may not be native to France.

danae poulou
Some years ago i was walking along a beach in France and i found this fossil... Does somebody know the plant, the rock and the age of the fossil? or how can i found the plant that was fossiled or the age? THANKS!(sorry for my english)
ABOVE YOU CAN SEE THE PICTURES CLEARLY!

http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g401/danaedafni/?action=view&current=IMG_0521.jpg

http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums.../danaedafni/?action=view&current=IMG_0520.jpg

http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums.../danaedafni/?action=view&current=IMG_0517.jpg

http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums.../danaedafni/?action=view&current=IMG_0516.jpgYea you must be right! this Should be a fossil of a coral :D...thnks ..but what coral? does anybody know?how old can it be?
 
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Very cool, I'm interested to learn what they are. I've seen something very similar, but can't remember to save my life.
 
Looks like a tooth to me. (Mastodon?) Maybe Andre will jump in.
 
I have no idea, but it certainly doesn't look like any molar I know. I'll forward it to my pal, but he specializes on other things.

This is a mastodon molar:

http://www.riversoftime.com/images/4-4-08_No._17c.JPG
 
I'm thinking some type of coral or sponge.
 
The intricate lines in the photos remind me of creatures that filter nutrients from seawater.
 
Evo said:
I'm thinking some type of coral or sponge.

I'm thinking coral, too.

A while back, there was a fossil posted in the Earth forum. It was a red one, and I thought that one was coral, too. I swear, I do *not* think every fossil I see is coral :-p.
 
Andre said:
I have no idea, but it certainly doesn't look like any molar I know. I'll forward it to my pal, but he specializes on other things.

This is a mastodon molar:

http://www.riversoftime.com/images/4-4-08_No._17c.JPG

Looks like coral.
 
It might be a fossil. However, I have seen similar things on the beach in Aruba in great profussion. In that case, they are just sea shells that have eroded in this fashion.
 
  • #10
lisab said:
Looks like coral.

:smile:

How about a molar of a woolly mammoth?

http://www.mcculloughfossils.com/mam%20mos%20riv%208.03.jpg
 
  • #11
Andre said:
:smile:

How about a molar of a woolly mammoth?

By golly, it does! Did all prehistoric elephant-like animals have teeth made of coral?
 
  • #12
lisab said:
Looks like coral.
:smile: I love you lisab! You're a hoot! :biggrin:
 
  • #13
Evo said:
:smile: I love you lisab! You're a hoot! :biggrin:

{{Evo}} :smile:
 
  • #14
lisab said:
By golly, it does! Did all prehistoric elephant-like animals have teeth made of coral?

Not all of them. It was just a stage they were going through. Kinda like the current tattoo thingy.
 
  • #15
`
danae poulou said:
Some years ago i was walking along a beach in France and i found this fossil... Does somebody know the plant, the rock and the age of the fossil? or how can i found the plant that was fossiled or the age? THANKS!(sorry for my english)
ABOVE YOU CAN SEE THE PICTURES CLEARLY!

Ahh, yup... that's a pterodactyl. Age? About 4 years old.
 
  • #16
Andre said:
:smile:

How about a molar of a woolly mammoth?

http://www.mcculloughfossils.com/mam%20mos%20riv%208.03.jpg

This looks like a NYC bed bug. About the right size too.
 
  • #17
All the plant fossils I've seen are flat imprints. Whatever this is, I don't think it's very old.
 
  • #20
I think she's right.

The rose corral fossil at the bottom is close: http://www.rathbonesgifts.com/coral.htm

And I stumbled on a corral and fossil chess set. I want! http://www.allproboardgames.com/CoralSet/

edit: corral?

coral. coral. coral.
 
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  • #21
Newai said:
I think she's right.

The rose corral fossil at the bottom is close: http://www.rathbonesgifts.com/coral.htm

And I stumbled on a corral and fossil chess set. I want! http://www.allproboardgames.com/CoralSet/
Yup, looks like rose coral!

The sisters know their coral.

Het Lisab, you can officially say it looks like coral now!
 
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  • #22
Lacy33 said:
This looks like a NYC bed bug. About the right size too.
I agree that thing looks like a bed bug on steroids.
 
  • #23
another vote for coral. I've killed enough of them to know! :shy:

whether rose, i don't know, but it does resemble some type of large-polyp stony coral. the blue specks are weird, tho.
 
  • #24
Answer is from one of ROM's invertebrate palaeontology curators:

It is some kind of modern stony reef building coral. I think the ridge pattern looks like brain coral but don't quote me on that. The lacy striations are the stony cups the polyps secrete to anchor themselves and builds up the reef when the animals die. The major meandering furrows are the pattern made by the growth of the polyps. The clue to it not being a fossil is that it is white. Fossils might be white if the original material is replaced by a white mineral but generally fossils are dark even black. People find shark teeth on sand beaches. Black ones are fossilized. White ones are modern.

Another pro thinks that this specimen is likely originally from the Caribbean or somewhere tropical and not from around France considering the tropical nature of these corals.
 
  • #26
  • #27
Evo said:
100 additional GOOBF Cards!

Excellent work Dave!

Thanks but Newai called it first. :smile:
 
  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
Thanks but Newai called it first. :smile:
He gets 100 GOOBF cards too.

You two will forever be honored in the PF Fossil Hall of Fame.
 

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