Who knew that this was a bony fish operculum? That would be Dr. Richard Chandler, who is quite possibly the coolest fossil expert in the world. A dear woman named Jean came to my launch party with this nugget, which she found 30 years ago on a Florida beach. She's been wearing it as a necklace all that time and trying to find out what it is. I wouldn't know a bony fish operculum if it smacked me in the head, so I put in a call to the experts. If you should ever make it on "Jeopardy!" and find that you are competing against a North Carolina Fossil Club member, just go ahead and surrender before the cameras roll.