Future Fossilised Wood?

At Everything Dinosaur we work on lots of fossils of vertebrates (and one or two fossils of invertebrates for the matter too), however, for the moment we are working on some very fine samples of fossilised (petrified) wood that have been sent into our offices.  The wood dates from various geological periods of the Mesozoic Era.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur were working on some fossilised wood sent to us from the western United States.  We discussed how the fossilisation of wood takes place, the various ways fossils of plant material can occur – carbonisation, petrification etc.

Petrified Wood Fossil

Team members at Everything Dinosaur spotted a spectacular example of a petrified wood fossil, when on a visit to a local museum (Liverpool World Museum). They took a photograph of the fossilised remains of a conifer tree trunk.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Prehistoric Trees

For much of the Mesozoic the flora on Earth was very different from the flowering plant dominated ecosystems of today. CollectA have produced a small range of highly detailed models of prehistoric plants including cycads and a model of a Ginkgo biloba tree.

To view these figures and the rest of the replicas in the CollectA Prehistoric Life range: CollectA Prehistoric Life Model Range.

Fossil Hunting with Everything Dinosaur at Lyme Regis

Team members at Everything Dinosaur enjoyed a successful day of fossil hunting along Dorset’s coast.  For a challenge, each team member was given just five minutes to find as many fossils as they could.

Some of the Fossils Collected

Lyme Regis full of fossils.

 Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A handful of fossils found on a quick visit to Monmouth beach to the west of Lyme Regis (Lower Jurassic Beds), ammonites, belemnites plus a small piece of fossilised bone, a fragment of an ichthyosaur perhaps?  We had great fun fossil hunting on the beach and this is what one of our experts uncovered in just five minutes of fossil hunting.

Successful Fossil Hunt

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We enjoy looking for fossils and Lyme Regis is a very beautiful part of the English coast.  Once you get your eye in you can usually find some interesting specimens.”

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of replicas of iconic animals from the fossil record including ammonites or belemnites. To view this range: Replicas of Iconic Fossils and Dinosaur Themed Gifts.