This is the “Fossil Friday” post #279.  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 #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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This week’s featured fossil is a stunning polychaete worm — Meringosoma sp. It was collected from the renowned Solnhofen limestone in Bavaria, Germany. Dating to the Jurassic Period, around 155 million years ago, the Solnhofen formation represents a warm, shallow sea dotted with islands. The fossil assemblage from this site is remarkably diverse, including shrimp, corals, fish, plants, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and the world-famous Archaeopteryx.

The beautful specimen was shared by the Lauer Foundation.  Long-time ESCONI members, Rene’ and Bruce do extraordinary work in Paleontology, Science, and Education. See below for a description of their work from the website.  Thanks for sharing, Rene’ and Bruce!

What we do

Curate, Collaborate, Outreach

The Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education (PSE) acquires, curates and provides permanent access to the Foundation’s collections of scientifically important paleontological specimens. These collections are made available to the international scientific community for the purposes of scientific research, publication and exhibition opportunities.

The Lauer Foundation PSE also utilizes the collections to provide unique educational outreach opportunities to area schools, museums and the community for customized hands-on programs in geology and paleontology.  Lastly, the Foundation continues to provide a long-standing cultural awareness program based upon experiences in Africa for multicultural diversity day programs, complimenting existing school curriculums while advancing knowledge and sparking curiosity. 

Meringosoma sp. was a type of bristle worm, classified within the class Polychaeta of the phylum Annelida. These were soft-bodied organisms, and such tissues don’t always fossilize in ways that are visible to the naked eye. However, under the right conditions, soft tissue details can become apparent under ultraviolet (UV) light. In the photos below, the first image was taken with an overhead LED lamp; the second combines LED and UV light; and the third shows the fossil illuminated solely by UV light.