Paul Taylor Collection

Asteroceras, fossil ammonite
A 16 cm diameter specimen of the Jurassic ammonite Asteroceras from the Lower Jurassic of Dorset, England

Partial fossil remains of the giant millepede, Arthropleura
Measuring 7.1 cm long, this Carboniferous fossil represents only part of a leg of the giant millepede Arthropleura

Dalmanites, a fossil trilobite
This example of the Silurian trilobite Dalmanites, 4.2 cm long, shows to perfection the complex dorsal exoskeleton of these extinct arthropods

Temnocidaris sceptrifera, fossil echinoid
Temnocidaris (Stereocidaris) sceptrifera, 5.5 cm in diameter, from the Cretaceous Chalk of Hertfordshire, England, apical view

Mucrospirifer, a fossil brachiopod

Heliolites, coral
Small colony, 4 cm wide, of the tabulate coral Heliolites from the Silurian of England

Polygonal corallites
The simple, polygonal corallites of favosites are well seen in this 6 cm high polished block from the Devonian of south-west England

Hexagonella, bryozoan
A 5 cm long branch of Hexagonella from the Permian of Australia. This cystoporate bryozoan has polygonal subcolonies bounded by ridges

Remopeurides, a fossil trilobite
Probably planktonic, Remopeurides is a small trilobite - this Scottish Ordovician example being less than 2 cm long - with an inflated glabella

Metaldetes
A small block of limestone, 5 cm across, from the Cambrian of South Australia, containing sectioned specimens of the archaeocyathan sponge Metaldetes

Goniatites, fossil ammonite
In marked contrast to Dactylioceras, this Carboniferous Goniatites has a shell in which successive whols overlap stongly, giving a narrow, deep umbilicus

Acanthoteuthis, a fossil coleoid
Arms equipped with hooks and a black ink are visible in this 15 cm long, exceptionally preserved specimen of the coleoid Acanthoteuthis from the Jurassic of Wiltshire, England

Plagiostoma, fossil shell
This shell of Plagiostoma from the British Jurassic measures 8.5 cm wide and shows radial ornamentation and growth banding

Gonioteuthis, a fossil belemnite
Guard of the belemnite Gonioteuthis, 8 cm long, from the Cretaceous Chalk of Salisbury, England

Cyrtograptus, graptolite
Colony of the graptolite Cyrtograptus from the Silurian of Bohemia. Field of view 5 cm wide

Didymograptus, fossil graptolite
The two tuning-fork graptolite on this piece of Welsh Ordovician shale belong to the genus Didymograptus and have branches some some 5 cm in length with sawtooth-like thecae

Dactylioceras, fossil ammonite
Dactylioceras, represented here by a 9.5 cm wide individual, is a characteristic and abundant ammonite in the Lower Jurassic of north Yorkshire, England

Hoplites, fossil ammonite
Hoplites, a stongly-ribbed Cretaceous ammonite. This 7.8 cm wide specimen is from the Cretaceous of Southern England

A fossil Cataceramus
Cataceramus is a subgenus of the genus Inoceramus, a bivalve that became extinct toward the end of the Cretaceous period

Fossil belemnites
Belemnite battlefield, a dense accumulation of belemnites covering a 22 cm wide slab of Jurassic shale from Yorkshire, England

Spiriferina, a fossil brachiopod
Remarkable preservation of the delicate brachidium which supported the lophophore in a French Jurassic specimen of the spiriferide brachiopod, Spiriferina

Trinucleus, a fossil trilobite
The pitted cephalic fringe is clearly seen in this 1.3 cm wide specimen of Trinucleus from the Ordovician of Wales

Stramentum, a fossil barnacle
Cretaceous goose-necked barnacle Stramentum from the Chalk of Kent, England, about 2 cm wide

Trinodus, a fossil trilobite
Measuring less than a cm, this Scottich Ordovician trilobite Trinodus has a much reduced thorax between the larger head and cephalon

Ventriculites, sponge
A Cretaceous flint broken open to reveal the sponge Ventriculites with a root-like base

Streptelasma, coral
A horn coral, the solitary rugosan Streptelasma from the Ordovician of the USA, measuring almost 4 cm in length

Actinostroma, a dome-shaped stromatoporoid
Vertical polished section through the dome-shaped stromatoporoid Actinostroma, 9 cm in width, from Devonian rocks of Western Australia

Terebratula, a fossil brachiopod
The pedicle opening is very clear in this British Pliocene example of Terebratula measuing 6.6 cm in height

Halysites, chain coral
Part of a colony of the tabulate chain coral Halysites from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden. The visible width of this specimen is 7 cm

Hydnoceras, a hexactinellid sponge
Over 17 cm tall, this natural cast of the hexactinellid sponge Hydnoceras comes from Devonian rocks of New York State

Cyclomedusa from the latest Precambrian (Ediacaran) of South Australia. The slab of sandstone bearing this apparent jellyfish has a visible width of about 8cms

Mesolimulus, a fossil horseshoe crab
The Jurassic horseshoe crab Mesolimulus, 17 cm long, from the famous fossil locality of Solnhofen in Bavaria, Germany

Hallopora, bryozoan
Branch, 15 mm high, of the trepostome bryozoan Hallopora, a genus particularly common in the Silurian which had bushy colonies when alive

A fossil Kosmoceras, ammonite
Kosmoceras, a genus of ammonite which lived during the Jurassic period

Cyclacantharia, a fossil brachiopod
Two individuals of the peculiar Permian brachipod Cyclacantharia, each about 2 cm in diameter, showing the solitary coral-like shape and long supporting spines

Lingula, a brachiopod
Recent specimen of the brachiopod Lingula with long pedicle emerging from the 5 cm long valves of the phosphatic shell

Bogus mating fossil frogs
This image shows bogus mating fossil frogs. It was figured in J.B.A Beringer (1726) plate 12. Photographed by Paul Taylor

Bogus fossil lizard
GIWL108 (Geologisches Institut, Universit� urzburg Lugensteine number 108). This image shows a bogus fossil lizard (or salamander) eating an insect. Photographed by Paul Taylor

Bogus fossil plant
GIWL040 (Geologisches Institut, Universit� urzburg Lugensteine number 40). This image shows a bogus fossil plant. Photographed by Paul Taylor of the Natural History Museum, London

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