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Sea Urchin Fossil - Mepygurus depressus

 

Madagascar
Callovian stage of the Jurassic Era circa 144 to 208 million years ago
This type of Sea Urchin, "Mepygurus depressus", like a (sand dollar), is an extremely flat form of echinoid. They are a slow moving creature, feeding primarily upon algae, as they burrow through the soft sand in our oceans. Sea Urchins have a rigid skeletal system, known as a test, which is comprised of several interlocking plates. On the top of their bodies are five visually paired rows of perforations of their endoskeleton, which are formed in a perfect star shaped pattern. These perforations act as a gas exchange system for the Sea Urchin.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Echinoidea
Order: Cassiduloida
Family: Clypeidae
Genus: Mepygurus
Species: depressus


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