fossilshellEcphoragardnerae1.jpg
Illustration of Ecphora gardnerae fossil shell; public domain image on Wikipedia.
Official State Fossil of Maryland
Maryland designated the Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (Wilson) as the official state fossil shell in 1994 (Maryland also recognizes an official state dinosaur). All State Fossils
This extinct snail inhabited Chesapeake Bay and other East Coast tidal waters 5 million years ago in the Miocene era. Various species of fossil Ecphora are fairly common in the Miocene strata of Maryland (in the areas now occupied by Chesapeake Bay, parts of Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore).
This fossil snail was one of the first fossils from the New World to be illustrated in a scientific work in Europe (England, 1770).
Maryland
