Popped back with a couple of friends to Folkestone yesterday afternoon. I found nothing of particular interest I'm afraid, pretty much everything I picked up was too broken up to bother keeping.

Still, I collected a fragment of a nautilus which is only the second I've ever found there, quite rare. Richard, a friend of mine, found an unusual belemnite which is much larger than the very common Neohibolites minimus and was about twice the diameter. I have not seen one of this size before from the area and am not sure which species it is. It's the larger one in the picture of finds.

Here's Richard looking peculiar with a nice ammonite he found, hopefully I'll be able to get a better picture and identify it after he cleans it up. The other picture is yours truly.

The squid picture is an odd one, I assume someone must have dumped their fishing bait into a puddle. Still as this a cephalopod site I just couldn't resist a picture.

Odd to think that in three hours we managed to encounter five orders of cephalopods; ammonites, belemnites, a fossil nautilus, squid and cuttlefish remains. An octopus would have been nice to complete the set; maybe next time...

Hi Phil,

Those squid will make a great multiblock in a few million years :)

Rob

Nice!

I keep forgetting to ask -- do you have any formal training?

Nice!

I keep forgetting to ask -- do you have any formal training?

None whatsoever; I didn't even take biology at school, let alone geology. Although I studied archaeology for my degree course, most of it was Roman and Saxon orientated and nothing whatsoever to do with fossils. After I left I dug on various excavations around the SE of England for three years or so before ending up in the civil service, not really through desire but it paid the bills.

I just try and pick up what I can from textbooks, websites and, of course, reading Kevins posts!

Cheers!

Hi Phil,

Those squid will make a great multiblock in a few million years :)

Rob

:grin: We'll report back in a few million....

You know, the Folkestone clays are absolutely swarming with belemnites. Or rather it was. I wonder if 100 million years ago they lay in vast shoals like that having expired after swarming to lay eggs. The sight must have been very similar.

If I remember rightly you came to Folkestone on the trip Roy Shepherd and myself organised, Rob. Did you find any?

If I remember rightly you came to Folkestone on the trip Roy Shepherd and myself organised, Rob. Did you find any?

Yes, I had a splendid time :) Lots of fragments and a few small yet beautiful complete ammonites.

I'm in the progress of putting a sub-site together which will have some pics from that event. Roy has been kind enough to offer members of discoveringfossils webspace and their own unique url.

Cheers,

Rob

Phil, my Mrs :heart: has a woolly just like Richard's. You always do your bit for coastal erosion in your Sunday best ?

Keef