Fossil Unit

Yes, I collect everything!

Here is my collection of fossils.

The first two images are of real brachiopods from the Paleozoic Era 500 million years ago.

They are bivalve creatures that lived under the ocean and include clams.

http://www.fossilicious.com/Brachiopods-c-317.html

The two while cards are cepholopods mollusks.

http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/FosCephs.php

The next three images are of my favorite of all fossils

 - the trilobite. They are very handsome crab like creatures that lived 500 million years ago. I tell the children they are handling creatures older than the dinosaurs!

http://www.nature-watch.com/trilobite-fossil-p-82.html?cPath=142_157&gclid=CJac8-Hriq4CFeJeTAodeVfNzQ

These are amongst the oldest arthropods. They were abundant during the Paleozoic era, but died out at the end of it. They are easy identified with their three part bodies.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilobite

Now for the fossil coral.  I lived near Coralville, Iowa

where these fossils were everywhere just laying around 

near stream beds and in gravel since Iowa was the bottom of an ancient ocean.

Now for the plant fossils.

Crinoids lived at the bottom of the ocean and are common fossils.

http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/crinoid_fossils.html

The fern fossils I must have bought at a rock and mineral show.

How could you start a fossil collection?  Well, they have gotten a little expensive now, but never miss those traveling rock and mineral shows that come to town. I paid almost nothing for mine because I am such a scavenger.

This ancient history unit goes:

My rock collection (posted here)

This fossil unit

and then volcanoes. 

Dinosaurs would go next.