Check out my new dinosaur arm fossil!

[Rific]

Okay maybe its not a dinosaur arm but it almost looks like one. Anyone have any idea what kind of fossil it is? I found it eroded out of a shale/slate formation in PA.

 

[Rific]

I wanted to clarify that it didnt erode out of that hole in eock formation, and that it was sitting on the ground in a pile of debris beneath that type of formation. It looks like chicken skin!

 

[sprailroad]

Perhaps more like Dinosaur feces? I'm just saying.......

 

[Deft Tones]

Looks like vegetation to me. A variation of petrified tree common in my state 300 million years ago.

Google images for Lepidodendron. Very similar texture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidodendron

In the 19th century, due to the reptilian look of the diamond-shaped leaf scar pattern, petrified trunks of Lepidodendron were frequently exhibited at fairgrounds by amateurs as giant fossil lizards or snakes.

 

[Rific]

Looks like vegetation to me. A variation of petrified tree common in my state 300 million years ago.

Google images for Lepidodendron. Very similar texture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidodendron

Hey thank you deft! Very informative and i think you are correct! Im still calling it my chicken wing though!

 

[Rific]

From looking at the other images on google, it looks like I have a nice piece! How do you guys preserve your fossils? I want to keep this guy and dont want him to break, what are my options in preservation? I was thinking about polyurethane? I don't want it to shine though, i want it to look natural and dull.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Ask a professional about preservation. You may not want to do something half assed in terms of preservation.. IF needed at all.

 

[Deft Tones]

I have a chunk next to my garage door for use as prop door holder. It was bleached white by the sun when I found it. I find pieces fairly frequently while fishing streams and rivers.

It's pretty much a rock now, so I'd imagine the only required preservation is avoid direct light.

Good hunting!

 

[bluveinthrobber]

You know what that looks like is a petrified cyprus knott. You know the little bumps of roots that poke out of the water in swamps?

 

[DDancer]

I dont see any real need to preserve it more than just a cleaning. You might see about having a small slab cut out and polished to check for internal details to increase its worth as a conversation piece Good find however.

 

[Rific]

Soooo you guys are saying don't marinate the chicken? I'll have to get an etch on the top or bottom though I think thats a good idea ddancer. Maybe even like a 45 degree angle one halfway through it then cut it flat on that plane in the center out to the edge an inch... Thanks everybody for all comments and info