This is the “Fossil Friday” post #245.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Please include a short description or story.  Check the hash tag #FossilFriday on Twitter/X and Bluesky for contributions from around the world!

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This week’s fossil is a Tully Monster, which are always popular fossils.  Tullymonster gregarium come in all shapes and sizes. It got both its common and scientific names from Eugene Richardson, Jr., who was the Curator of Fossil Invertebrates at the Field Museum for many years.  Legend has it that Francis Tully brought in some specimens for identification in 1958 and Richardson thought the animal so bizarre that he referred to it as “Mr. Tully’s Monster”.  The latest research seems to indicate it’s a primitive fish, maybe related to hagfish and lampreys.

Known only from Illinois, the State Fossil of Illinois has been reported from three main areas – Pit 11 (where most have been found, along with surrounding marine deposits like Braceville and Pit 4), Chowder Flats (an old fossil collecting site west of Morris, IL off Route 6), and the Sunspot Mine near Astoria, IL.  We featured a Tully from the Mazon River in Fossil Friday #123.

This particular specimen was collected in the summer of 2024.  Notce how lighting and background can bring out detail.