134 OHIO FOSSILS 



c) Slugs 



Living slugs seem to have no shell at all; it is hidden inside the mantle which covers the 

 front part of the body. The slug shell is a flat or slightly curved plate, oval in shape; in some 

 genera it is reduced to a few calcareous granules. It is difficult to identify slug shells even 

 to genus, but they are mentioned here as they have been found in some numbers in our Pleis- 

 tocene deposits. 



OSTRACODA . Fossil ostracodes in great numbers are found in Pleistocene deposits 

 of Ohio. Their identification is difficult for a non-specialist. Many genera and species have 

 been recorded for Ohio. 



INSECTA. Fossil insects are rare in Ohio Pleistocene deposits. No doubt insects 

 existed in large numbers during Pleistocene time here, but the sediments were such that the 

 delicate bodies of insects were seldom preserved. Stout beetle wing -cases are found from 

 time to time; their identification is a task for an entomologist. 



AMPHIBIA AND REPTILIA . The Pleistocene amphibians of Ohio, unlike those of the 

 Pennsylvanian, are neither large nor extinct. They are the familiar living salamanders, 

 toads, and frogs, as well as the "mud-puppy" Necturus maculosus which looks like a catfish 

 but can be distinguished from one by its legs and external, red gills. 



The reptiles include lizards, snakes, and turtles of the same species as those now living 

 in Ohio. 



BIRDS . Bird bones are sometimes found in Pleistocene deposits but complete skeletons 

 have not yet been recorded. No especially curious forms have been noted. 



MAMMALS . The mammals are the most important and interesting of the fossil verte- 

 brates of the state. During times of glaciation northern forms, such as the mastodon, 

 mammoth, giant beaver, and many others, inhabited the state and their remains are found 

 from time to time in gravel pits and dried swamps. During the periods when glaciers were 

 absent from the state and the climate was even milder than now, southern forms invaded 

 Ohio; of these the ground sloth, the peccaries, and horses are the most interesting. 



Pleistocene mammals are found in Ohio as rare complete skeletons, occasional skulls, 

 and more often as isolated bones and teeth. Identification of complete skeletons and skulls 

 is relatively easy, at least to genus; some types of teeth (e. g. mammoth, mastodon) are 

 easily recognizable but others call for a specialist. 



Pleistocene mammal finds may have considerable scientific interest, but digging them 

 out should be left to a specialist. If you find indications of such a specimen, for example a 

 tusk or part of a skull sticking out of a river bank, the best thing to do is to leave it alone 

 and report the find to the closest specialist - there is usually one at the nearest university 

 or college - who can decide whether it has scientific value. If it has, he can make careful 

 notes on the position of the skeleton with respect to the beds in which it lies and dig it out 

 carefully so that it will have maximum scientific value. By the way, don't expect to make a 

 fortune out of your find; the geologist who digs it out will have to spend both time and money 

 to get it to a museum. Don't be surprised either if your find turns out to be a horse or cow 

 that somebody buried ten or thirty years ago. 



