CLASSIC 'DEVIL'S TOENAIL' (Gryphaea arcuata) - 190 million years old - Gloucestershire
« backJURASSIC OYSTER
or 'DEVIL'S TOENAIL'
Gloucestershire
The extinct bivalved mollusc Gryphaea arcuata is a well-known and distinctive fossil and an ancestor of the modern oyster.
It has one shell, or valve, much larger than the other and strongly curved as an adaptation to living on a muddy sea floor. Its characteristic shape has led to it being called the 'Devil's toenail' in folklore.
The extinct bivalved mollusc Gryphaea arcuata is a well-known and distinctive fossil and an ancestor of the modern oyster.
It has one shell, or valve, much larger than the other and strongly curved as an adaptation to living on a muddy sea floor. Its characteristic shape has led to it being called the 'Devil's toenail' in folklore.
This is a fine and well-preserved example of this curious fossil. Both of the valves are present.
See also following book which can be purchased here (£6) Formed Stones, Folklore and Fossils
Size: approx. 6 x 4 x 4 centimetres
Weight: 105 grams
|
-11372-p.jpeg?v=394ADC85-6E7F-4DB9-A4E0-A8E1D7533A29)
-11372-p.jpeg?v=19677BC5-2053-48D5-82B8-9CC34313A87D)
-11372-p.jpeg?v=DDC13F1C-9D5A-45FC-8FC9-E93CB2B01C4F)
-11372-p.jpeg?v=CAF8691E-E460-4084-894F-907DEA51DB83)
