This week’s Fossil Friday post features a whelk called Solenosteira dalli. This specimen was found in the Gatún Formation and is late Miocene in age. The temporal range for this species is restricted to the late Miocene and it was found on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of Panama. This species belongs to the family Buccinidae, whose modern members use chemosensory abilities to smell and hunt prey. Solenosteira dalli was a predator and it likely used these abilities in a similar manner.

To learn more about this specimen, check out the Fossils of Panama page on it here.