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Is this fossil coral or just dried coral?


FossilizedJello

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I bought this a long time ago and always though it is dried coral but its hard to tell searching online. Also not sure if its rose coral,brain coral.

IMG_9751.JPG

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This looks like a modern coral to me, I have some that are very similar in appearance.

 

Check out this topic here: 

 

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4 minutes ago, Misha said:

This looks like a modern coral to me, I have some that are very similar in appearance.

 

Check out this topic here: 

 

Yeah, I think it something along the lines of Manicina or rose coral. I guess theres so many types its hard to ID when dried

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Stratigraphic distribution of the species Manicina areolata (Linnaeus, 1758) extracted from NMITA. It is difficult to say whether it are fossils or not without knowing the specimens recollection´s place.

 

Distribution:

Early Pliocene
Gurabo Formation. Rio Cana, Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, central Caribbean.
Early Pliocene - Late Pliocene
Mao Formation. Rio Cana, Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, central Caribbean.
Seroe Domi Formation. St. Michiel ridges, Curacao, south Caribbean.
Tamiami Formation. Sarasota, Florida, north Caribbean.
Early Pliocene
La Gruta Formation. Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama, southwest Caribbean.
Late Pliocene
Bowden Formation.
       Bowden Shell Beds, Bowden, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
       Bowden Wharf, Bowden, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
Moin Fm (SantaRosa). Pueblo Nuevo, Limon, Costa Rica, southwest Caribbean.
Q.Chocolate Fm (Buenos Aires). Buenos Aires, Limon, Costa Rica, southwest Caribbean.
Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene
445-484 fbmp. BDP Core Clino, Bahamas, northeast Caribbean.
Moin Fm (Lomas del Mar). Lomas del Mar, Limon, Costa Rica, southwest Caribbean.
Old Pera Beds. Old Pera, Bowden, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
Early Pleistocene
321-394 fbmp. BDP Core Clino, Bahamas, northeast Caribbean.
Caloosahatchee Formation. Shell Creek, Florida, north Caribbean.
Glades Formation. Belle Glade, Florida, north Caribbean.
Manchioneal Formation. Manchioneal Harbor, Manchioneal, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
Middle Pleistocene - Late Pleistocene
Key Largo Formation. Key Largo, Florida Keys, Florida, north Caribbean.
San Andres Formation. San Andres, San Andres, central Caribbean.
Late Pleistocene
Falmouth Formation. Rio Bueno, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
Recent Recent
<10m. Discovery Bay, Jamaica, central Caribbean.
Edited by oyo
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Quite true--this species does have a history stretching back a ways. From the coloration (the pale tan) these appear to be modern corals. Any older specimens I've encountered far enough inland to not be modern (i.e. tossed by a big storm) have usually been more starkly whitish or grayish in coloration. This is a species that is most commonly found growing in sandy areas with seagrass or algae beds (not in coral reef communities proper). They do not attach to the substrate but grow upward from the initial polyp and seem to mostly maintain an upright position despite not being firmly attached. You can see the "root" polyp in the one specimen lying on its side pointing away from the camera in the above photo. I have righted and "replanted" many of these after storms while snorkeling in shallow seagrass beds over the years.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Yeah, has to be modern. It just doesnt have this fossil appearance. They are still cool. Thanks everyone,  very informative thread.

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