Is This It ?

[worthy 55]

Is this what this looked like when it was alive ?

[Gatorman]

Sort of yes, and it would have had thousands of little soft feeder tubes. http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/echinoids.htm

[MOROPUS]

yes, but the spines of the Cidaris fossil members sea urching,have had a lot of different spines (like little ballons, with a bullet form,leaf form...),although the living forms (there are a lot!) have mainly strait but final rounded spines.They actually live in almost every sea,including FL and Caribbean.

[worthy 55]

Ok, thanks I was just wondering what the one on the forums heading looked like. These are the kind that I have come in contact with, they are cool to look at but do not touch they will stick you !!!

[Uncle Siphuncle]

The regular echinoid in the rotating picture carousel is Phyllacanthus texanus. I found it a couple years ago near San Antonio in the Salenia texana zone. I have found isolated and a few articulated plates before that, but complete specimens are extremely rare here. It comes from the Cretaceous Glen Rose fomation, Albian, about 108 million years old. There is a similar species, P. tysoni, also in the Kgr in my area. It has a similar test but the spines are like little upside down bowling pins. I'm not sure what the spines of P. texanus look like.

The best part is that when I took my buddy there to introduce him to the site, he rushed in front of me, missed this specimen, and I got to call him back to show him what he walked right past...MUHAHA!!!