The Rochester Shale

The fossils of The Rochester Shale were originally excavated during the construction of the Erie Canal, between 1817 and 1825. Accordingly, some of the earliest scientific descriptions of these ancient animals were from this locality. The Rochester Shale has long been famous for its quality of preservation and abundance of invertebrate life, with more than 200 described species, including Corals, Bryozoans, Brachiopods, Bivalves, Gastropods, Cephalopods, Conularians, Graptolites, a Machaeridian worm, Crinoids, Cystoids, Brittle Stars, Starfish, Edrioasteriods and of course, Trilobites.