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Bony Fishes
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the Teleostomi
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While bony fish remains are relatively common, particularly
in the Upper Gault, it is rare to find complete or articulated fossils.
A successful method of collecting fish fossils is to bulk-sample the clay,
dry and wash it, then sieve and sort through the residues with a hand-lens
or microscope. This process will yield many tiny isolated teeth, vertebrae,
scales, other bones and the otoliths (ear-bones) of fishes. Macro-fossils
are usually limited to the occasional vertebrae and teeth. The teeth of
Protosphyraena ferox Leidy are amongst the most common. Burrows
attributed to Terebelloid worms are commonly lined with fish-scales and
can be mistaken for complete fish fossils.
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A small number of representative fossils are illustrated here but as the web-site develops more specimens will be added. The fish otoliths are being worked on by Dr. Dirk Nolf of the Brussels Natural History Museum. I am very grateful to Ms. Alison Longbottom of the Vertebrate Division of the Natural History Museum, London for providing identifications for the fish brain-case and albulid dentition. |
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fish brain-case from the Lower Gault of Folkestone
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Spratticeps gaultinus Patterson 1970
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lowermost Bed V - Euhoplites lautus Zone
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Albulid fish dentition from the Upper Gault of Folkestone
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Casierus heckelii Estes, 1969
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Bed VIII - Dipoloceras cristatum Subzone
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unidentified fish dentition (possibly a pycnodont)
from the Upper Gault of Folkestone
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Folkestone - ex bulk-sample (detail not recorded)
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unidentified fish vertebra from St. Mary's Platt,
KENT
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surface collected in Park Farm quarry
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tooth of Protosphyraena ferox Leidy from the
Gault of Folkestone
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Gault Clay - surface collected
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Unidentified Fish Otoliths (ear-bones) from the Gault
Clay of Folkestone
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The scale bar is very approximate to give an indication
of size. All specimens are taken from bulk clay samples - details not
included here
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| References: |
a. Geol. Survey Memoir 1966. Geology of the country around Canterbury and Folkestone b. Woodward A.S. 1908. The Fossil Fishes of the English Chalk, Part IV |