Fantastic Fossils

On the upper floor of the Museum is the Fantastic Fossil Gallery.   Here are laid out a cross section of the Silurian and Carboniferous fossils of the region.   You can gaze at the sheer number of different types of creature to be found as fossils in the locality.   Or you can use the collection as a reference point to identify any items you may have found when visiting the Wrens Nest National Nature Reserve.

 

There are four main display cases for the fossils which are shown below together with an example from each case.

 

This case contains examples of fossilised corals and shellfish.

 

Object 35 in the Reef mound and sandy shoals case is Coral Halysites calenularia (Linnaeus) about 425 million years old. Some people say this is the oldest chain made in the Black Country!

 

This case contains numerous examples of Crinoids (Sea Lillies)

 

A wonderful example of a crinoid in this case is no. 8 - Marsupiocrinus coelalus (Phillips), about 425 million years old, which is about 15 cms (6 inches) tall.

 

This case contains examples of Gastrpods, Trilobites, Cephalopods (Squids) and Worm Tubes.

 

A particularly fine example of a Trilobite in this case is Dicranus barbarus (Thomas) which again is about 425 million years old.

 

This case contains fossilised specimens from the Forrest Canopy, Ground Covering Plants and Primitive Plants as well as examples of locally mined stones.

 

Look out for specimen no. 14 a beautifully preserved Fern Pecopteris about 310 million years old.

You can also meet:- ‘Fluffy’  Who is a full sized Mammoth model. 

He will introduce you to a display of information about life during the ice ages.