This year, 4 excellent specimens of Illinois’ State Fossil, the Tullimonstrum gregarium aka Tully Monsters, were unearthed from the famous fossil beds of Mazon Creek’s Pit 11.
2 were found in early March, coincidentally on the same day, another in July 2016, and then the 4th in November. It is possible that more were found this year, but these are the 4 I am aware of from my dozen or so trips to Pit 11.
And this post is to memorialize these lucky finds, especially since this was a unique year to find them. Just earlier in 2016, a research team from the University of Leicester in the UK announced that their research found that Tully Monsters were indeed vertebrates, disputing many theories about where they landed on the animal tree.
Because these soft-bodied animals are rarely preserved, the fossil record is limited to a small locality in Northern Illinois, making it near-impossible to tell when they first appeared on earth or when they went extinct.
Common finds at Mazon Creek are jellyfish, sea cucumbers, ferns, plant material, and the occasional fish or insect. A Tully Monster is a rare find, but there are still many out there to be discovered, and you can bet we will be out there next year to add to this list.
The first, found in March, was complete and was weathered open in the field
This is the find featured in the Mazon Creek Pit 11 Field Guide. I also documented the careful cleaning process in this post on The Fossil Forum.
Another shot
The 2nd one found was 1/2, the other side was not found.
This is the 2nd specimen, found on the same day, and in roughly the same area of Pit 11.
In July, Charlie, a member of The Fossil Forum found a complete tully
The preservation is poor, but it is the most complete specimen of the bunch, and a great find from Pit 11. There are 2 photos, one that is marked up to highlight the specimen’s features.
The 4th was whole, and opened after several freeze/thaws.
This is the 4th, and most spectacular one I’ve ever seen found in recent times. It’s museum-quality and discovered by Legion_of_Adventure
Happy hunting in 2017!
The Tully is by far the coolest creature on the fossil record. Amazing finds, wonder what 2017 will bring??
Well biddy we didn’t get out in 2018, but 2019 for sure. While I don’t have a degree in paleontology, I do have a masters in geology. Mazon Creek strikes me as a lucky collection. Glaziers covered this area and I may be wrong, but could have easily destroyed the area, but on the contrary I am surmising glaciers exposed this ancient formation. Cheers