Fossil Id # 2 ?

[teenerbeener]

Found in February 2023 in High Ridge, Missouri near HWY 30 at Saline Creek. 

 

[jpc]

Oh, there is the photo... looks like an impression of a crinoid stem.  

[digit]

Agreed. Could also be a cast of an orthocerid cephalopod but it is difficult to judge without any idea of scale in the image.

 

Could the original poster add some additional photos with a ruler in the image to give a sense of the size of this fossil?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[teenerbeener]

Also here's is one almost like it

Edited February 14, 2023 by teenerbeener

[digit]

Yup. Those are pretty tiny in size and are quite likely to be the external casts of the stem of an echinoid (sea star and sea urchin relative) called a crinoid. The stems are composed of small rounds called columnals. Individual columnals (or small groups of them) can often be found when hunting for fossils. Crinoids still exist today but the ones with the long stalks are now only found in limited habitats deep in the ocean (like thousands of feet down).

 

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

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=crinoid+columnal+fossil&tbm=isch

 

Deepwater examples of this 'living fossil' can be seen here:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=stalked+crinoid&tbm=isch

 

I know a researcher who studies these and he's found out that these deepwater crinoids may live hundreds or thousands of years.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken