One of the most famous fossil localities in Britain, the Christian Malford Squid Bed in Wiltshire yields beautifully preserved squid complete with soft body parts. This will be the focus of a detailed investigation by a group of Earth Scientists, including Dr. Keith Duff from Natural England. The project has been awarded some funding by the Geologists' Association Curry Fund.
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Please see Martill & Hudson, "Fossils of the Oxford Clay",
Pal. Soc. 1991 Plates 31, 32, 33 (p 155 et seq.). The teuthids occur in the
Athleta Zone of the Peterborough Member and were first discovered in the
famous 'borrow-pits' exposures by the railway at Christian Malford, then
subsequently at Trowbridge and elsewhere. The Christian Malford
collections, including the well known squashed ammonites, were largely
procured, prepped and released commercially by a local joiner, hence raising
all the datastream and collection-failure issues you might expect. It is
not surprising therefore that the above publication contains the following:
"The Lower Oxford Clay, mainly Phaeinum subzone of Athleta Zone, for
exceptionally well-preserved ammonites accompanied by 'squids' with 'soft
part' preservation. This occurrence would well repay excavation.", and
Keith Duff was the principal contributor on Bivalves to that publication.
So it sounds as if his hobby horse has found oats.
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