Moroccan Jellyfish Fossil?

[Rikache]

Hi there! I was browsing through my favorite sellers' stores earlier today and I came across this very peculiar fossil. The fossil is said to be of an Ordovician age jellyfish (Eldonia Berbera) from Mecissi, Morocco. I'm still fairly new to collecting fossils, thoroughly researching them, and learning about paleontology more in depth, so the thought of a jellyfish fossilizing never really crossed my mind. I'm not entirely interested in purchasing this fossil; rather, I'm posting this more out of pure curiosity.

 

I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone could share their insight about this particular specimen and I'd love to learn about how such a process as the fossilization of a jellyfish could go about. I think this could be a great learning moment for me and other like myself who are still in the process of learning such things.

 

Thanks y'all!

[Bobby Rico]

I think they are called Discophyllum berberum now . Are they jellyfish I don’t? This specimens looks nice . Let’s get our friend opinion on this @Wrangellian . 

[Wrangellian]

I saw that one... No one knows for sure what group these belong to. Not jellyfish, anyway. The wikipedia article on Eldonia is calling these Moroccan ones Eldonia berbera, so I guess they are now considered part of the same genus as Eldonia ludwigii from Burgess Shale. (Another label for me to redo)

For something soft to fossilize, burial would have to be rapid. At Burgess, they say there were submarine avalanches/mudflows that quickly smothered the critters in an anoxic environment where decay was slowed/halted and scavengers could not get at them. These Moroccan ones may have been stranded on a sandy beach where they dried out partially in the sun, and then were buried, so they could somewhat withstand the higher energy beach environment. At least that was one proposed process I read. Or maybe they were just tougher than the average jellyfish.

If you want a true jellyfish fossil, you can't go wrong with a Mazon Creek Essexella asherae... probably the easiest jellyfish to acquire.

 

My Eldonia specimen:

The info I have for these is:

Discophyllum berberum (now apparently Eldonia berbera?)

Late Ordovician - Early Rawtheyan (Late Katian)

Upper Ktaoua Fm.

Erfoud Region (Elkaid Errami), Morocco

 

[Sjfriend]

As someone who lives by the ocean where we often have jellyfish wash up, it does look a lot like one. Can see some faint patterns in the bell that would suggest something real. BUT, I can not say if they are or not. I know if I found one my thoughts would immediately go that way. Though, I would have a hard time believing that's what they are considering how fossils form and how jellyfish would survive it that intact. Just looks too perfect to me but I don't know what comes out if there for that 

[Wrangellian]

They do look like jellyfish and that was they were initially thought to be, but these (like Eldonia) normally exhibit an inflated C-shaped part in the middle (the gut?) that is not seen in jellyfish. That part is not visible in this specimen but can be discerned in mine.

[Caverat]

Since the Mazon Creek Essexella asherae were mentioned, if you haven't seen them, here is an example: