cullman, Alabama

[khandi]

[Rockwood]

Rugose coral, for starters.

[FranzBernhard]

Welcome to TFF from Austria!

Yes, rugose corals. Nice chunk(s)!
Franz Bernhard

[khandi]

thanks so much! is there anything else in there? to me it looks like maybe worms and a squid?

 

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, khandi said:

thanks so much! is there anything else in there? to me it looks like maybe worms and a squid?

 

No. The shapes you refer to are likely septa and tabulae. Each animal lived at the top of its stack like structure. As it grew it added a new floor (tabula) in the center of its living space. Surrounding it the septa were arranged in a radial pattern which supported its digestive (?) organs. 

[khandi]

very cool!!!.. you have any idea how old it is maybe?

[Rockwood]

250 million minimum. It's when the group went extinct. It's likely in the  300 - 400 million years ago range though.

[Pemphix]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugosa

[khandi]

Thanks very informative. Great read!

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

colonial rugose coral.

[FossilDAWG]

You have a nice example of a colonial rugose coral.  The Cullman area bedrock is Mississippian age, and corals and coral patch reefs are common in the Bangor Formation.  Accurate identification of corals requires good cross sections and longitudinal sections to see the internal structure.  However your specimen is a good match for Acrocyathus (formerly called Lithostrontionella), which is a common colonial coral genus in the Bangor.

 

Don