Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)--life model, State fossil of Illinois by cwidga

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Discovered in 1958 by Francis Tully, this enigmatic fossil is only found only in Pennsylvanian deposits of the Mazon Creek region of northern Illinois. The fossils themselves are found in siderite (an iron-carbonate) concretions from the Francis Creek shale, which was often exposed during 20th century underground and surface mining. The Tully Monster was a marine invertebrate who was fossilized alongside other members of this 300 million-year-old ecosystem such as extinct shrimp-like crustaceans, jellyfish, scallops, fish and sharks. In 1989, the Tully Monster became the state fossil of Illinois. This 3D model of Tullimonstrum gregarium is based on a reconstruction by Patrick Gulley (1951-2011).
For more information:http://www.wired.com/2011/01/tullys-mystery-monster/http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/symbols/fossil.htmlhttps://www.isgs.illinois.edu/outreach/geology-resources/illinois-state-fossil-tullimonstrum-gregarium