Beautiful Bryozoan or coral colony

[Frank Eaton]

This is one of my favorite oddities: it’s a spherical colony of bryozoans from the York River of Virginia. You’ll see from the closeup that’s it’s layers upon layers of colonies. There’s no telling how deep they go… is there a pebble at the center? Anything at all? 
 

Specimen is 7cm. 
 

It’s tricky to find ID’s for these, but I’m curious if this is an encrusting bryozoan or a coral. Also, it’s just neat and wanted to share. 
 

Frank

Edited January 29, 2022 by Frank Eaton
Changed site collection from James to York River

[Sandfossil]

So beautiful. Thank you for sharing. 

[Al Dente]

26 minutes ago, Frank Eaton said:

is there a pebble at the center? Anything at all? 

These colonies usually start on a solid surface like a rock or shell.

[oyo]

2 hours ago, Frank Eaton said:

It’s tricky to find ID’s for these, but I’m curious if this is an encrusting bryozoan or a coral. Also, it’s just neat and wanted to share. 
 

Frank

It is not a coral. Bryozoan.
Do you know the stratigraphic position of the specimen?

[ScottBlooded]

Nothing to add but just needed to tell you how great that rock is. Beautiful fossil.

[piranha]

Another TFF spectacular specimen from the Pleistocene of Rhodes, Greece:

 

[Frank Eaton]

2 hours ago, oyo said:

It is not a coral. Bryozoan.
Do you know the stratigraphic position of the specimen?

I picked it up on the bank of the York River just upstream from Yorktown. Totally unassociated with anything.

[hemipristis]

10 hours ago, Frank Eaton said:

This is one of my favorite oddities: it’s a spherical colony of bryozoans from the York River of Virginia. You’ll see from the closeup that’s it’s layers upon layers of colonies. There’s no telling how deep they go… is there a pebble at the center? Anything at all? 
 

Specimen is 7cm. 
 

It’s tricky to find ID’s for these, but I’m curious if this is an encrusting bryozoan or a coral. Also, it’s just neat and wanted to share. 
 

Frank

Nature's art in the form of a bryozoan colony.  Yes, it is beautiful.  Thanks for posting

[oyo]

7 hours ago, Frank Eaton said:

I picked it up on the bank of the York River just upstream from Yorktown. Totally unassociated with anything.

It's a very nice specimen. It's a pity that there is no stratigraphic information to investigate about it. The specimen would deserve it.

It reminds me a lot of some Pliocene bryozoans from southern Spain.

Edited January 29, 2022 by oyo

[abyssunder]

It's a nice bryolith! 

[oyo]

A little question, how far is Chuckatuck (Virginia) from the place where your bryozoo was found?
I ask for this:

 

 

Acanthodesia

 

 

Consider it a long shot.

 

Biblio:

 

From list of Chuckatuck's briozoan-

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255709168_Evidence_of_El_NinoLa_Nina-Southern_Os_cillation_variability_in_the_Neogene-_Pleistocene_of_Panama_revealed_by_a_new_bryozoan_asse_mblage-base_d_proxy

 

From image Acanthodesia-

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331608306_Anomia-associated_bryozoans_from_the_upper_Pliocene_Piacenzian_lower_Tamiami_Formation_of_Florida_USA/link/5c876c61299bf1e02e2892a8/download

Edited January 29, 2022 by oyo