Teen Finds Lobster Fossil with Original Shell | The Institute for Creation Research

Teen Finds Lobster Fossil with Original Shell

A "stunning" fossil was discovered by 15-year-old James Dickinson while he was fossil hunting at a beach in southern England. The area where he found it, Lyme Regis, is well known as a "treasure trove" for fossils. But the tiny lobster James discovered contained a very rare feature--parts of its original shell.

His family brought the unique find to Phil Davidson, a geological warden at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, who sought the expertise of the Natural History Museum in London. There, Dr. Joe Collins recognized it as Coleia brodei, an extinct variety of lobster. Davidson then wrote to the Dickinsons:

Your specimen is unusual and it has been preserved in a strange way. The few lobsters found here in Dorset are usually preserved in hard limestone where their remains have been partially replaced by phosphate. Your specimen was preserved in soft shale, which has preserved portions of the original shell and has been partially crushed.1

Along with beetles, butterflies, and shrimp, lobsters are covered with a hard, crusty biomaterial called "chitin." Chitin is secreted by special tissue and then quickly hardens around the animal's body, thus restricting its size. To grow, the creature must shed its chitinous exoskeleton and remake a larger one.

Chitin is more biodegradable than many man-made polymers. That means that its constituent elements can be efficiently recycled back into the environment. This is why the ocean and forest floors are not littered with generations of arthropod remains. But this also means that chitin breaks down spontaneously.

A 2009 technical report in the journal Geology reviewed a strange fossilized fungus in which the fossil was actually a form of chitin that makes up fungal cell walls. The authors wrote, "Because of the lability of chitin, chitinous structures are normally considered to have a relatively low preservation potential."2 In other words, chitin has a short shelf life.

Because chitin should not survive over long periods of time, it came as a complete surprise when experts examined James' well-preserved tiny lobster and found bits of its original shell still intact. The surprise was magnified by the fact that the shale in which it was discovered was a "soft rock."3 This means that over time, the deleterious effects of water seepage and bacterial action could only accelerate the break-down of this crustacean's exoskeleton.

So, the insistence that this fossil is "millions of years old"1 does not match the evidence. How could its shell still be around after all that time, considering how biodegradable it is and knowing that it was encased in such porous rock?

It makes much more sense that the chitin persisted for only thousands of years--a date that is consistent with the biblical record--rather than the man-made assignment of millions. The most likely conclusion is that this fossil is a tiny reminder of the uniquely catastrophic worldwide Flood of Noah.

References

  1. Haworth teenager discovers rare fossil. Keighley News. Posted on keighleynews.co.uk September 26, 2010, accessed September 27, 2010.
  2. Sephton, M. A. et al. 2009. Chemical constitution of a Permian-Triassic disaster species. Geology. 37 (10): 875.
  3. Well preserved fossil lobster. ID service fossil donations. NaturePlus, a blog of the Natural History Museum of London. Posted on nhm.ac.uk September 20, 2010, accessed September 27, 2010.

Image Credit: © 2010 The Natural History Museum. Adapted for use in accordance with federal copyright (fair use doctrine) law. Usage by ICR does not imply endorsement of copyright holders.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Article posted on September 30, 2010.

The Latest
NEWS
April 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things...

NEWS
Human Evolution and the Inner Ear
The vain attempt by evolutionists to make an evolutionary connection between people and ape-like ancestors continues. This time, it is in regard to...

CREATION PODCAST
Defending the Faith with a Rocket Scientist | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How do engineering principles, biological complexity, and a solid understanding of apologetics work together to further the cause of Christ? Why...

NEWS
Aerobic and Anaerobic Hot Spring Bacteria
God designed a domain of prokaryotes called Archaea that thrive in harsh and extreme environments. In 1969, two microbiologists, Thomas Brock and Hudson...

CREATION PODCAST
The Soulless Hominid Theory: A Fatal Flaw in Old Earth Creationism...
Welcome to the second episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit...

NEWS
Humpback Whale Calls Echo Creation
There is nothing simple about the system of communication called language, whether animal or human.1 Human language is a very sophisticated...

NEWS
Mary Parker, Creation Ministry Partner of Dr. Gary Parker, Is...
Mary Parker, the wife and co-laborer of Dr. Gary Parker, went home to be with her Lord on March 20, 2025. Dr. Parker was a popular and effective...

NEWS
Plants Rely on Quantum Mechanics
Scientists will probably never fully understand photosynthesis as additional research uncovers even more fascinating mysteries.1,2 ICR’s...

NEWS
Martian Polar Ice Cap ''Surprisingly Young''?
A team of German planetary scientists has concluded that a three-kilometer-thick northern polar ice cap on Mars has a “surprisingly young”...

NEWS
''Blood Worm Moon'' Total Lunar Eclipse 2025
Barring cloud cover, about 75% of the country saw the total lunar eclipse, aka the “Blood Worm Moon.” Texas had good weather conditions...