This is the “Fossil Friday” post #301.  Expect this to be a regular feature of the website.  We will post fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Bluesky/Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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In Mazon Monday #294, we highlighted the fossil site at Montceau-les-Mines in southeastern France. This Carboniferous (Stephanian) locality dates to approximately 303–305 million years ago, making it slightly younger than Mazon Creek. While Montceau-les-Mines preserves many of the same plant and animal groups found at Mazon Creek, it stands out for its greater diversity and abundance of vertebrates, particularly tetrapods. Arthropods are also well represented throughout the deposit.

Today’s Fossil Friday highlights one of those arthropods… a syncarid shrimp named Paleaocaris secretian. These shrimp are very similar to Palaeocaris typus from Mazon Creek (see Mazon Monday #65).