2000
Philip J. Currie Museum
Scaphites depressus is an index fossil from the Bad Heart Formation. An index fossil is a fossil that can be used to determine the relative age of the rocks in which they occur because they are found over a short period of time, and a wide geographic area. This fossil characterizes the Late Coniacian, which spans 87-86 million years ago. These molluscs are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish) than modern nautiluses. This specimen was found along the Smoky River by amateur fossil collector Roy Bickell.