Vermont

Vermont State Fossil

//Description of the organism://
It has also been known as "Charlotte" becaus eof the area where it was discovered.

Type: The organism is a type of beluga whale. The species is called //leucas// and the genus is called //Delphinapterus.//
====Size: Males measure between 4-5.5m in length and have a body weight between 1-1.5 tonnes; females are smaller. They are around 3-4.1m in length and weigh 0.4-1 tonne. The upper jaw has nine pairs of teeth, the lower jaw, eight pairs.====

Time Existed:
//Delphinapterus leucas// lived in Vermont and New York. These two states were flooded lowlands during the Pleistocene Ephoc. This was 12,500 years ago. It belongs to the same species as the beluga whales that are living today in the arctic and subarctic marine waters around Canada, Russia, and Greenland. It existed 12,500 years ago.

Preservation:
//Delphinapterus leucas// was preserved by the blue clays and muds of the Champlain Sea.

Who found the fossil/ Why is it the state fossil? :
It was found during construction of the first railroad between Rutland and Burlington in 1849. It was first classified by Peter Pallas, a German Eighteenth Century naturalist. It was also found Charlotte,Vermont during 1849. It is the state fossil because of its' white to grey-white color, forehead knob or "melon", and lack of a dorsal fin.

Sources:
Image: Retrieved from: [|www.google.com] Information: Vermont,US. Retrieved on March 29, 2012 from: [].

Web Marketing Services, Inc.(2011). "//Vermont State Fossil". Retrieved on March 29, 2012 from :// [].