Monday, April 25, 2011

Rastellum gregareum from France

Rastellum gregareum from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) cliffs along the English Channel called the Vaches Noires (Black Cows). These specimens were sent to me by my friend Gery and were collected by him near Villers sur Mer in the providence of Normandy, France. I love the random, crenelated look of the shells of these oysters. They kind of look like a topographic map of a drainage basin in some cases. Some species get long and curved and are nicknamed "Denture Clams".







This specimen has the ridges coming from a more central line as opposed to along the edge as in the last specimen.




This one must have anchored to another clam shell as it seems to have grown upwards from the base and reminds me of a flower pot.





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