Illinois State Fossil - Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)In 1955, a fossil hunter by the name

Illinois State Fossil - Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)

In 1955, a fossil hunter by the name of Francis Tully was exploring the spoil piles of a coal mine near Braidwood, Illinois. He was searching for fossils inside of 300 million year old ironstone nodules found in the Francis Creek Shale. Mr. Tully split one open to reveal something a very strange animal that no one had seen before. It had a long proboscis or snout on its head sporting a claw, spade-shaped fins on its rear and a horizontal bar underneath its head with an eye on each end. This prehistoric oddity would eventually be named Tullimonstrum gregarium (commonly referred to as a Tully Monster) and it would go on to confound scientists for decades.

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