FOSSIL COLLECTION BASICS

An example of a small fossil collection by Adam Cooper

This page contains pictures and descriptions of specimens from my fossil collection.
Pictures are displayed in order of type and classification to Subclass level:
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Subclass.
Order, Family, Genus, Species, Subspecies are displayed, if known, in the specimen description.
Preservational and Behavioural Classifications are used for Trace fossils.
I warn you now that palaeontology is not one of my strong points so please do not take
the classifications on this page for granted.

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Unknown

RefP1 Shark's Tooth. Age: Eocene. From Morocco
(this specimen was purchased from a craft fair, Wisbech) 1st July 1995

Sub-class Pteriomorphia

Phylum Mollusca
Class Bivalva
Subclass Pteriomorphia

RefP7 Gryphaea. Order: Pterioda. Family: Ostreidae. Genus: gryphaea. Age: Jurassic
Environment/Mode of Life: Sea bed/free-lying. This specimen was collected from
a gravel driveway in Cambridgeshire.

Sub-class Ammoniodea

Class Cephalapoda
Subclass Ammonoidea

RefP53 Ammonite. Order: Ammonitida. Family: Dactylioceras. Genus: commune.
Age: Jurassic. Environment/Mode of Life: marine/necktonic. This specimen was collected
from a cliff section, Peak to Blea Wyke nr Ravendscar, Yorkshire, UK on 17th June 1995

RefP56 Ammonite. Order: Ammonitida. Family: Dactylioceras. Genus: commune.
Age: Jurassic. Environment/Mode of Life: marine/necktonic. This specimen was collected
from a cliff section, Peak to Blea Wyke, nr. Ravenscar, Yorkshire, UK on 17th June 1995

Formerly RefP56 Ammonite. Order: Ammonitida. Age: Jurassic. Environment/Mode of Life:
marine/necktonic. This specimen was collected from a cliff section, Peak to Blea Wyke, nr.
Ravenscar, Yorkshire, UK on 17th June 1995

RefP11 Ammonite. Age: 50 Ma - Upper Jurassic. Environment/Mode of Life: marine/free-swimmer
This specimen is a half of an Ammonite which has been sliced and polished on the internal surface to
display the preserved internal structure. (Purchased in Dorset) 29th March 1995

Sub-class Coleoidea

Subclass Coleoidea

RefP42 Belemnite. Environment/Mode of Life: marine/necktonic. This specimen collected at
Speeton, Yorkshire on 14th June 1995

[no record] Belemnite. This is a good Belemnite specimen since the main part is preserved rather
than just the guard. This specimen seems to have found it's way into my collection without me having any
record of it, although the external appearance is not inconsistent with fossils I have retrieved from gravel.

Class Trilobita

Phylum Arthropoda
Class Trilobita

Ref:P17 Trilobite. Genus: peranopsis Age: Lower Cambrian to Upper Ordovician.
Environment/Mode of Life: marine/benthic (this specimen was purchased from a craft fair, Wisbech).
The geographic origin of this specimen is unknown. 30th June 1995