![[color photograph of Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae, the state fossil]](/msa/mdmanual/01glance/images/fossil.gif)
In 1994, the shell of the Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (Wilson), an extinct snail, was named the State fossil shell (Chapter 688, Acts of 1994; Code State Government Article, sec. 13-311).
The Ecphora inhabited Chesapeake Bay and other East Coast tidal waters in the Miocene era, some 3 million years ago. Specimens have been recovered from Calvert Cliffs, Calvert County, and Chancellor Point, St. Mary's County.
This russet-colored fossil shell derives its genus name from the Greek ekphora, meaning "protruding." The more recent species designation of gardnerae is in honor of paleontologist Julia Gardner of the U.S. Geological Survey. The subspecies name is a repetition of the species name, and the name "Wilson" denotes the person who originated the species name.
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