JELLYFISH SANDWICH: EMBEDDING, PREPARATION, AND SECTIONING OF RECENT JELLYFISH TO AID IN FOSSIL JELLY RECOGNITION

Extant jellyfish were collected off the California coast and then buried with differing orientations in mud from the collecting locality. They were dried for 9 months to mimic previously observed conditions. Various consolidants were used to harden the sample. This mud slab was then encased in tinted plaster to establish a consistent edge for the sectioning saw. The resulting sections give an analog of fossilized jellies to aid recognition of the fossil jelly record.