Sharks, fishes, rays and other fossils from Ledian in Belgium

Carcharocles auriculatus, Ledian, Oosterzele, Belgium. Height about 4 centimeters.

 

Ledian is a typically Belgian stratigraphical stage, similar to Lutetian of International Statigraphical Scale. Its age is about 40 to 50 millions years old.

This level is well represented in Belgium, having its stratotype at Lede, near Ghent. (Gent)

Road and factories building works, train trenches, sand quarries have been visible some years ago near Woluwé-Saint-Etienne, Zaventem, Oosterzele, Vlierzele, Balegem, Schepdael, Woluwé-Saint-Pierre, Forest…

Ledian “Base Gravel” is represented on sites as pockets of a yellow to reddish sand containing fragile shells, yellowish sandstone pebbles, and many teeth from fishes, rays and sharks. Otolites of fishes can be extremely numerous also.

More scarcely found are fishes and sharks vertebrae, crocodile’s teeth and bones, plates from tortoises, snakes vertebrae, mammal teeth…

Invertebrates are mainly nummulites, brachiopods, pelecypods and gastropods, worm tubes, small parts of sea-stars, rostrum of animals related to actual squids, sea-urchins and rare nautilus.

Base gravel was seated just under a thick sandstone bank, very dangerous, since being divided into big blocks separated by cracks! Those who excavated the sand layer without before getting rid of sandstone blocks could get stuck under a rock weighting several tons, collapsing on them without any warning!

Vertebrate remains concentration could be locally astounding, several dozen of differently sized teeth could be found in each single sieve!

There also, bringing back at home sieved sand on small mesh for further examination could be very productive.

Unhappily, after some people died due to lack of caution when digging sand, some sites where forbidden to access. Other outcrops gradually disappeared. Now, only temporary works could yet enable one to collect in this extraordinary interesting layer!

Good luck to all.

Feel free to leave me a comment! Thanks.

Phil « Fossil »