#polished fossil bivalve

[uk-fossils]

Polished Fossil Bivalve | Lower Cretaceous Madagascar | Genuine Specimen with COA

Add a polished piece of prehistoric marine life to your collection with this exquisite Fossil Bivalve from the Lower Cretaceous period, discovered in Madagascar. Carefully polished to enhance its natural beauty, this specimen is a unique example of ancient marine molluscs and a stunning addition to any fossil or natural history collection.

Fossil Type: Bivalve Mollusc

Geological Period: Lower Cretaceous (~145 to 100 million years ago)

Location: Madagascar

Scale Rule: Squares/Cube = 1cm (Please see photo for full sizing details)

Specimen: The photo shows the exact item you will receive

Authenticity: All of our fossils are 100% genuine specimens and come with a Certificate of Authenticity

Geological and Paleontological Information

This fossil bivalve originates from marine deposits formed during the Lower Cretaceous, a time when Madagascar was part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. These ancient seas supported a diverse array of molluscs, including bivalves like this example. While the exact genus and species are not specified, bivalves from this region and period are often linked to families such as Trigoniidae, Inoceramidae, or Ostreidae, common in Cretaceous marine strata.

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Bivalvia

Morphological Features: Typically two symmetrical shells joined by a hinge; this specimen is polished to reveal structural details such as growth lines, shell ridges, and colour banding within the mineralised shell

Depositional Environment: Shallow marine environment with fine-grained sediment, conducive to fossilisation of shell-bearing organisms

Geological Stage: Likely from the Barremian to Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous (specific stratigraphy not provided)

Notable Aspects

Polished fossil bivalves from Madagascar are prized for their excellent preservation and the stunning patterns that emerge when polished. These fossils represent not only a window into marine life over 100 million years ago but also the geological history of Madagascar's evolving sedimentary basins.

Why Buy From Us?

100% genuine fossil guaranteed with Certificate of Authenticity

Polished for display, study, or gifting

Carefully sourced and curated specimen

Actual item shown in photographs

Own a beautifully preserved piece of natural history today with this authentic polished fossil bivalve from the Lower Cretaceous of Madagascar — a true relic of Earth’s ancient oceans.

[franciscobaby]

2 recent fossil finds that I’m obsessed with 🥹

1 little bivalve that I cleaned and polished a bit, & gorg piece of petrified wood !

🤍

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Mesetaornis polaris

By Scott Reid 

Etymology: Meseta Bird

First Described By: Myrcha et al., 2002

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Aequorlitornithes, Ardeae, Aequornithes, Austrodyptornithes, Sphenisciformes, Spheniscidae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 40 and 38 million years ago, in the Bartonian age of the Eocene of the Paleogene 

Mesetaornis is known from the Telm 7 member of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica 

Physical Description: Mesetaornis is one of our early penguins - those long-billed weirdos of the first half of the Cenozoic, which paved the way for the adorable friends we known from the Southern Hemisphere today. It had extremely long toes compared to other penguins, and actually had the fourth toe (hallux), giving it very weird feet compared to its relatives. A small early penguin, it was much smaller than such species as Palaeeudyptes and Anthropornis, while probably around the same size as Delphinornis. This means it probably wouldn’t have reached taller than 70 or so centimeters in height (as a very rough estimate). Of course, this is just conjecture, as all we have of it are toe bones. Like other penguins, it would have stood upright, waddled about, and been more adept to life in the water than on land.

Diet: As in other penguins, Mesetaornis would have primarily fed upon fish and other aquatic organisms.

Behavior: Mesetaornis probably behaved like other penguins, spending most of its time near the water and diving about for food. Being closer to living penguins than earlier forms, it was probably not as good in the water as those today, but still better than those who came before. It could dive and fly through the water to some extent, using its flipper-wings to do so; it would have also been very awkward on land. As a penguin, Mesetaornis would have probably lived in large flocks, and taken care of its young with the help of others in the group. 

By Ripley Cook 

Ecosystem: Mesetaornis lived in a subtropical coast, right off the edge of Antarctica, which was teeming with life unique to the area while the rest of the world was covered in a (slowly receding) jungle. Instead, this coast would have been rocky and cooler, surrounding a system of estuaries and bays with plants such as magnolias and ferns populating the shores. This would have been an extremely fertile environment for penguins, and it shows in the fossil record! There were plenty of bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, sharks, and fish, as well as a variety of turtles. There were mammals there, too, including small rodent ones and larger, more bulky forms. As for other dinosaurs, there were Pseudotoothed Birds, early Petrels, flamingo-ducks, and a truly hopeless number of penguins - including Delphinornis, Palaeeudyptes, Marambiornis, Anthropornis, and Archaeospheniscus - making this the place to go to see the early evolution of penguins!

Other: Mesetaornis is a very early derived penguin, grouped up with other early penguins like Delphinornis and Marambiornis. These were full penguins, not quite as weirdly loon-shaped as earlier forms like Waimanu, but they weren’t as big as later forms or had the same beak as living penguins. As such, it represents one of many early penguins that showcase the evolution of the group - and Mesetaornis was a weird one, since it had freakishly long toes!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

Chavez, M. 2007. Fossil birds of Chile and Antarctic Peninsula. Arquivos do Museo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65(4):551-572

Cione, A. L., and M. A. Reguero. 1994. New records of the sharks Isurus and Hexanchus from the Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 105:1-14

Hospitaleche, C.A., Reguero, M. and Santillana, S., 2017. Aprosdokitos mikrotero gen. et sp. nov., the tiniest Sphenisciformes that lived in Antarctica during the Paleogene. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie-Abhandlungen, 283(1), pp.25-34.

Jadwiszczak, P. 2006. Eocene penguins of Seymour Island, Antarctica: Taxonomy. Polish Polar Research 27(1):3-62

Jadwiszczak, P., 2008. Short Note: An intriguing penguin bone from the Late Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctic Science, 20(6), pp.589-590.

Jadwiszczak, P. and Gaździcki, A., 2014. First report on hind-toe development in Eocene Antarctic penguins. Antarctic Science, 26(3), pp.279-280.

Ksepka, D. T., S. Bertelli, and N. P. Giannini. 2006. The phylogeny of the living and fossil Sphenisciformes (penguins). Cladistics 22:412-441

Ksepka, D.T. and Ando, T., 2011. Penguins past, present, and future: trends in the evolution of the Sphenisciformes. Living Dinosaurs, pp.155-186.

Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Mayr, G. 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance. Topics in Paleobiology, Wiley Blackwell. West Sussex.

Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L. and Scofield, R.P., 2017. A new fossil from the mid-Paleocene of New Zealand reveals an unexpected diversity of world’s oldest penguins. The Science of Nature, 104(3-4), p.9.

Myrcha, A., P. Jadwiszczak, C. P. Tambussi, J. I. Noriega, A. Gazdzicki, A. Tatur, and R. A. Valle. 2002. Taxonomic revision of Eocene Antarctic penguins based on tarsometatarsal morphology. Polish Polar Research 23(1):5-46

Reguero, M. A., S. A. Marenssi, and S. N. Santillana. 2012. Weddellian marine/coastal vertebrates diversity from a basal horizon (Ypresian, Eocene) of the Cucullaea I Allomember, La Meseta formation, Seymour (Marambio) Island, Antarctica. 19(3):275-284

Stilwell, J. D., and W. J. Zinsmeister. 1992. Molluscan Systematics and Biostratigraphy. Antarctic Research Series, AGU 55  

Woodburne, M. O., and W. J. Zinmeister. 1982. Fossil Land Mammal from Antarctica. Science 218:284-286

[wearsshoes]

“Curious Scientific Names”

From the following list: http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html#Curious%20Scientific%20Names There’s a lot of good ones but I loved these the most.

Generics

Dyaria Neumoegen, 1893 (moth; Neumoegen greatly disliked his contemporary, Dyar)

Ittibittium Houbrick, 1993 (mollusks smaller than those in the genus Bittium)

Muscatheres Evenhuis, 1986 (fly; "there are only 3 Muscatheres known")

Notnops, Taintnops, and Tisentnops Platnick, 1994 (spiders; all originally placed in the genus Nops, but Platnick decided these were all distinct new genera)

Dolichisme, Ochisme, Peggichisme and Polychisme Kirkaldy, 1904 (bugs; "-chisme" is pronounced "kiss me")

Ptomaspis, Dikenaspis, Ariaspis, all by Denison, 1963 (fossil fish; remove the "-aspis" from all three names to get the joke)

This McAlpine, 1991 (fly; McAlpine had a poster on his office door with an illustration of the fly and a quote below "Look at This!")

One might note that entomologists seem to have the most fun (or just the most species to name)

Binomials

Abra cadabra Eames & Wilkins, 1957 (bivalve; now in genus Theora, but "Theora cadabra" just doesn't have the same ring)

Aha ha Menke, 1977 (wasp)

Apopyllus now Platnick & Shadab, 1984 (spider)

Ba humbugi Solem, 1976 (snail from Mba Island)

Cephise nuspesez Burns (skipper; pronounced "new species")

Chaos chaos Linnaeus, 1767 (amoeba)

Charis ma Harvey & Hall, 2002 (butterfly)

Colon forceps Hatch, 1957 (leoidid beetle; genus includes species such as Colon rectum, Colon monstrosum, Colon grossum, Colon horni, and other suggestive combinations)

Cyclocephala nodanotherwon Ratcliffe (scarab beetle)

Dziwneono etcetera Dworakowska, 1972 (leafhopper; in addition to the unusual epithet, the generic name means "It is strange" in Polish)

Eubetia bigaulae Brown (tortricid moth; pronounced "yubetcha bygolly")

Extra extra Jousseaume, 1894 (snail; a somewhat gray literature publication on the taxon was titled "Extra extra: Read All About It!")

Gelae baen, Gelae belae, Gelae donut, Gelae fish, Gelae rol Miller & Wheeler, 2004 (fungus beetles)

Heerz lukenatcha, Heerz tooya Marsh, 1993 (braconid wasp)

Lalapa lusa Pate, 1946 (tiphiid wasp)

Mini ature, Mini mum, and Mini scule Scherz et al., 2019 (extremely tiny frogs from Madagascar)

Phthiria relativitae Evenhuis, 1985 (bee fly; now in genus Oligodranes)

Pieza deresistans, Pieza kake, Pieza pi, Pieza rhea Evenhuis, 2002 (bee flies)

Pison eu Menke, 1988 (wasps)

Qrocodiledundee outbackense Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault 2018 (braconid wasp)

Reissa roni Evenhuis & Baez, 2001 (bee fly)

Riga toni Evenhuis 2013 (bee fly)

Verae peculya Marsh, 1993 (braconid wasp)

Vini vidivici Steadman & Zarriello, 1987 (a recently extinct parrot)

Ytu brutus Spangler, 1980 (beetle)

@slatestarscratchpad for puns

[magpiesmiscellany]

This wire wrapped pendant features a fossilized brachiopod. The shape reminded me of a ginkgo leaf, so I wrapped it to try to emphasize that shape. It is a striking, slightly Art Deco, neutral colored piece of fossil jewelry with echos of adventures and lost worlds. It's wrapped in antiqued copper with non tarnish fine silver over copper accents to pull out the delicate grays and silvers of the fossil and mimic the raised striping on its shell. Since both types of wire are coated, there's no worry about trying to polish the metal wrapping this ancient fossil. Brachiopods (literally arm-foot) were bottom feeding marine creatures with two shells. You can see the lip of their joint nicely on the back of this one. They're symmetrical when viewed from above, unlike bivalves. This one is a member of the Spirifierids Order and is probably from the mid Devonian period. (So it's around 385 million years old, older than the first dinosaurs!) Spirifierids are sometimes called butterfly shells because of their wings. With its long history and watery origins this is good for beach fans and geology and paleontology fans alike :) The wire wrapped pendant is just over 1 3/4" long by just shy of 1 1/2" at its widest. The fossil pendant hangs from a 20" silver chain with a beaded pattern. Fossils this old can be sensitive to water and besides a gift box (let me know if you'd like it wrapped as well, that's not a problem) I'll send it out in a plastic bag with a silica pack to keep it dry and toasty. Please don't wear it into the pool/bath/shower. (Or if you plan on working up a serious sweat!) Shop home: https://www.etsy.com/shop/magpiesmiscellany Visit on facebook or instagram: www.facebook.com/magpiesmiscellanyjewelry www.instagram.com/magpies_miscellany 

[galacticbugman]

Fossil Collecting

As far back as I can remember I have always been one for collecting things. From models, toys, stamps, coins, you name it I may have collected it. However some of my favorite things to collect are indeed fossils. I have always been kind of a rock-hound; shoot my whole family collects rocks, shells, and things like that. As for me I have always spent time collecting fossils and getting to appreciate the orgasms of prehistory. Allow me to show you some of my fossils from my own little collection that I have collected over the years. It is not much but it is a nice little collection but it has a lot of offer. 

Here is one of my most prized fossils I have collected over the years. Now sometimes I look for them and sometimes I will buy them it just depends on price and what it is. This is one I bought like I posted earlier from Inner Space Caverns and it is a Megalodon Tooth. As you know I have a thing for sharks. Sharks are really amazing to study. This is a pretty good sized tooth segment. I am still looking for a display case where I can display my fossils on stands and things so that way they are out where I can see them when I walk past. This one is one of my favorites in my tiny collection. I have more shark teeth but this one is the largest I have by far. It was the largest fish in the sea at one point that is why its teeth are so large. 

Here is Charlie who I got at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. I got him when I turned 13 on my last trip to Colorado. My what a trip that was. This was one of the coolest fossils in my collection. Most of my fossils come from the ocean or inland sea variety. I am an avid collector of ocean things so it is no wonder really. I also have some polished petrified wood in the collection. I am still looking for more pieces in my collection but it is growing at a slow but steady pace. Charlie is the only full fish I own. I called this fish charlie after Charlie Tuna. This fish is really interesting to look at. He is a couple of inches long and in really good condition. Some of the spinal cord has some vertebra missing but he is mostly there. He was the most complete fish in the fossils that were up for sale there. I think this was a really good purchase for a fossil. 

    Some really small Trilobites I found at Mineral Wells Fossil Park in Mineral Wells Texas. If you have a chance to go there definitely take it. The place may look like just a hole in the ground but you can find a king’s ransom in fossils that are from the Pennsylvanian Period. The whole area where the fossils are was once and inland sea. These were the only two I found that day. I have not been there in a few years but I am hoping to go back sometime in the near future to go and look for more things and to see if I can’t find anything new. Trilobites are one of my favorite fossils. I also love the Fossil Pokemon Kabutops so that is why I have a fondness for these. These are fairly small and not like some you can collect at other places. Most of the fossils at the Mineral Wells fossil site are pretty tiny and you have to literally get on your hands and knees to find these fossils. In a bit I will give you some tips on how to prepare for your own fossil hunting trip. 

A cool Ammonite I purchased around the same time as my fish fossil when I was on my last Colorado trip. We went up to a rock shop in the mountains when I found this in a glass case. It only cost me about eleven bucks but the specimen is amazing. These are related to the octopus and the squid. These closest living thing to these creatures today is the creature known as the Chambered Nautilus. The nautilus is a really cool creature. It is kind of accident prone since they mainly swim backwards all of their lives. They can’t see where they go half the time and often run into rocks. I am sure life was the same for these fellas. Ammonites can range to being really small to as big as a small child or bigger. These are super cool and were the food source creatures such as Ichthyosaurs and pleisosaurs and other marine reptiles. These are really cool and another one of my favorite types of fossils. 

Some Sea Lily or Crinoid parts. Both shots are of the spinal cord section (first shot) are the individual spinal disks. Notice the shapes of the center don’t they remind you of the flowers on Spongebob Squarepants? That is what they look like to me. I find these really fun to collect. I have a necklace made from Crinoid spinal cord. These are what I call nature’s beads and I found these at Mineral Wells Fossil Park. These are really cool to collect. I have a few of the cup sections which would sit on top of each stalk. These guys would often time branch out and are closely related to Sea Anemone’s of today. These on the site are fairly small but most of the other stuff is quite small. Mostly Pennsylvanian Period fossils tend to be fairly small compared to other fossils in the timeline. These are some of my best pieces in my collection. Still have yet to make another trip out there to see if I can’t find any of their ancient shark teeth. They have one type of shark tooth out there that is kind of hard to find and I was not that lucky to find one. Next time I go I am bringing a sifter and a shovel to see what else I can manage to dig up. 

   A few more fossils I found at Mineral Wells Fossil Park were these Brachipods. These guys are a kind of bivalve creature. I am not sure which type they are but you can find quite a few of these on the site.

 A couple more from the Mineral Wells collection. These are a few prehistoric snails or something. I have not had the time to ID these to the fullest but judging by their shape and size they are some type of ancient snail. I don’t have that many snail fossils but I do have quite a few shell fossils in my collection. Almost the whole collection I have is composed of prehistoric sea life which tend to be the most common fossils you can collect. Texas has some really good places to find fossils but you have to know where to look. Tandy Hill Nature Area is a place I visit on occasion and even though you can’t take anything out of the park I still take photos of fossils to add to my photo fossil collection. Hey sometimes pictures are the best alternative to having something and I take plenty of them.

So basically that is my fossil collection’s best bits and pieces. I hope you enjoyed the photos. I have more but I find these to be the best ones to talk about when I am sharing with people.  Fossil hunting is fun and sometimes just bringing a shovel, a kneeling pad, magnifying glass, gloves, (on some digs) a hammer, chisels, toothbrush, and collection jars are the essentials to have when out on a dig. Don’t forget weather and dig appropriate attire is always a plus and sunscreen. I don’t do too much fossil hunting but I do love to have that kind of adventure from time to time. I have a lot of fun on digs and find some of the coolest things. I have been collecting since I was just a small boy. My first dig I ever went on was out at Eagle Mountain Lake here in Texas and my love for fossils and understanding what life must have been like back then has only grown. I am kind of a jack of all trades when it comes to nature. I am a birder, insect hunter, fossil and rock hound, you just can’t study one thing without dabbling in all the other stuff. It is all connected and doing this will allow you to understand the nature world as a whole. You gain a better knowledge of how animals adapted and evolved. So it is pretty fun to learn about all aspects of nature. I love my time in nature and every time I go out I always have the time of my life. Nature is an important facet in my life and I love to get out and explore it. 

So until we meet again my friends I am Zachary AKA Galactic Bug Man and I will see you on my next adventure... See you on the trail!  

[magpiesmiscellany]

Brachiopod in Antique Copper & Silver, Wire Wrapped Pendant

This is a fossilized brachiopod. This type of brachiopod reminds me of a ginkgo leaf so I wrapped it to emphasize that shape. It is a striking, slightly Art Deco, neutral colored piece of fossil jewelry with echos of adventures and lost worlds. It's wrapped in antiqued copper with non tarnish fine silver over copper accents to pull out the delicate grays and silvers of the fossil and mimic the raised striping on its shell. Since both types of wire are coated, there's no worry about trying to polish the metal wrapping this ancient fossil. Brachiopods (literally arm-foot) were bottom feeding marine creatures with two shells. You can see the lip of their joint nicely on the back of this one. They're symmetrical when viewed from above, unlike bivalves. This one is a member of the Spirifierids Order and is probably from the mid Devonian period. (So it's around 385 million years old, older than the first dinosaurs!) Spirifierids are sometimes called butterfly shells because of their wings. With its long history and watery origins this is good for beach fans and geology and paleontology fans alike :)