1
19 claw fragments of mud shrimps and crabs collected from the Dammam Formation
© Qatar National Museum
Uplifting of the Qatar Peninsula (Miocene)
Object Name: Mud Shrimp Claw
Period: Uplifting of the Qatar Peninsula (Miocene)
Date: 23–5 Million Years Ago
Provenance: Donation by Jacques LeBlanc in 2011
Dimensions: 6.9 mm (H) x 29.4 mm (W) x 13.8 mm (D) 14 g (Wt)
Medium: fossil
Registration Number: QNM.2011.660.11.1-.19
Place Of Discovery/Findspot:  Dammam Formation
2
This object consists of fossilized claws from mud shrimps and crabs. Mud shrimps, specifically Callianassa mud shrimps, are marine decapod crustaceans that belong to the family Callianassidae. The crab claws may be related to xanthoid or portunoid crabs. These specimens were discovered in a layer of sedimentary rocks known as the Dammam Formation in west Qatar, which was formed during the Miocene period.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT QATAR
At the beginning of this period, Qatar was covered by shallow tropical waters. Sea turtles, marine crocodiles and dugongs all lived here.
Later, the Qatar peninsula gradually rose above sea level. The climate was much more humid than today, and Qatar was covered by grasslands and rivers. Ancient species of freshwater crocodiles, ostriches, elephants and giraffes walked the land.
LOCATE ON QATAR MAP
Dammam Formation
locate in museum map
Gallery 1