I know that Fossil Friday doesn’t usually have an exclamation point in its title—but I’m excited! Fossils! I LOVE fossils! And finally, finally, I have managed to pull together some posts. All of my fossil finds have come from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, which was my stomping grounds as a graduate student. Jessica Cundiff was an assistant curator when I was a student and has since taken the reins entirely. I owe her so many thanks for not only graciously giving me access to her treasures, but also for being so patient as I desperately tried to remember the names of the organisms I wanted to photograph.
Me: “Umm… what about one of those things that looks kind of like the Batman symbol?”
Jessica: *blank stare*
Me: “You know... it like dips in the middle and has, like, ridges?”
Jessica: “You mean a brachiopod?”
Me: “Yes! Exactly!”
Jessica: “Do you remember anything from when you were a student?”
Me: “I remember, for some reason, the term siphuncle.”
Jessica: “Could be worse.”
So here, then, is the first of our Harvard specimens, and no, it isn’t a brachiopod (though yes, there are a couple of those ubiquitous suckers in here, too). So what is it? Any guesses? I’ll give you a hint: The famous site where it was collected has been in the news this week.
Sound off below, or give me a tweet @keeps3.
See you Monday!
