What is this fossil?

[jabs88]

I found this piece, that i have labeled as Nemo...
I found it in a creek bed in western indiana
Folks at the University of Illinois and the Field Museum in Chicago, appear to agree that this is simply a crinoid.
I disagree, and until I find away to have the item x-rayed, i think i will be the only one that concludes that this is actually an ancient fish.

If you look at the photos, there is evidence of a mouth, tail, segmented body, one eye (the other appears to be missing), on the side evidence indicates presence of a fin....these are just a few of the "anomalies" present on this piece. If you can help me identify this I would be greatly appreciative.

I believe this to be of the Ordovician Time Period, perhaps Devonian. Please keep in mind that scientists have only identified roughly 25% of species from this time period...

Thanks for taking a look!

 

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[turtlefoot13]

Your photos did not post. I would love to see it.

Doug

 

[jabs88]

i need to resize them...will be a minute

 

[jabs88]

 

[jabs88]

i can email you additional photos if you like....let me know
I may post a few more, if you look at the object: bilateral symmetry - it's only missing an eye and physical limbs...which i believe to be fins.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Unlikely that it is a fish. If it were flexible enough to swim it would have been flattenned in the fossilization process and the soft tissue would not have been preserved (you'd have a skeleton). If it was rigid enough to fossilize intact it could not have bent to swim.

Possibly part of a crab limb or similar . . . or the lower arm near the collar of a crinoid.

 

[carcusrex]

Hi, Charlie is right. Though it does have a very interesting shape with cool features it does not look anything like a fossil fish. I have worked for many years as a fossil/dinosaur preperator for a museum and privately. So one of my jobs at the museum was to identify items brought in. Ordovician and Devonian fish are very armored early fishes. You can google images of fishes from these time frames to get an idea of what they looked like. Also there are a few 3D or "in the round" fossil fishes but these are of robust heavy scaled fishes like gars with large scales that helped with preserving in the round.
From what I can see with the circles and ring lines (fish don't have ventricle ring sections) it looks like some sort of echinoderm. Happy hunting.