TMNH Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I found this at my cottage on the beach. The fossils that wash up there are usually between Ordovician and Devonian in age (that's not very helpful is it ). What you can't see in the photo is that one end of the specimen goes through the rock so you can see the end. It is 3-Dimensional. I don't know what else to say...does anyone have any idea what it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Appears to be an echinoderm or asteroid (sea-star). Not sure which one as they all look similar to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I'd guess a crinoid stem because it is so parallel. I think a brittle star arm would have more taper to it, but that was my first instinct. How big is it? There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 Yay! I thought it might be an echinoderm, but I haven't had much experience with them as they're quite rare around here. The visible portion of the fossil is about 5 cm long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 How 'bout an end view? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave pom Allen Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 looks awesome i think it may be a crinoid stem, an end view would help greatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) Here's a few more pictures. The end view is circled in red. The end isn't very detailed, so I don't know how helpful it will be... If it is a crinoid stem, it's pretty different from any I've seen before. Edited June 22, 2011 by TMNH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Edonihce Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I don't recall seeing any crinoids with that kind of thing happening on the column. If it's a segment of a crinoid column, is that pattern of equally spaced dots 'original' for this species, or has there been so much weathering here that they are all that's left, and there used to be more material connecting from one to the next? Generally speaking, the material of the fossil does indeed look like it may be echinoderm of some sort. Any chance of getting higher resolution photos in better light? Oh........wait......what about Xenocrinus? related links... http://louisvillefos...noid-stems.html http://drydredgers.org/rons.htm http://www1.newark.o.../Xenocrinus.htm . ____________________ scale in avatar is millimeters ____________________ Come visit Sandi, the 'Fossil Journey Cruiser' ____________________ WIPS (the Western Interior Paleontological Society - http://www.westernpaleo.org) ____________________ "Being genetically cursed with an almost inhuman sense of curiosity and wonder, I'm hard-wired to investigate even the most unlikely, uninteresting (to others anyway) and irrelevant details; often asking hypothetical questions from many angles in an attempt to understand something more thoroughly." -- Mr. Edonihce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 That's a cool crinoid! Never seen one with a stem like that! That could be it... I'll see what I can do about a better photo. I'm going away for a few days, so it might take me a bit to get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 very nice fossil, Iocrinus seems to have a good profile as a candidate, also. My link "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_l Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I think it is a crinoid but I don't think it is a stem, I think it is a arm of the crinoid. Howard_L http://triloman.wix.com/kentucky-fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoJon Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I found this at my cottage on the beach. The fossils that wash up there are usually between Ordovician and Devonian in age (that's not very helpful is it ). What you can't see in the photo is that one end of the specimen goes through the rock so you can see the end. It is 3-Dimensional. I don't know what else to say...does anyone have any idea what it is? I don't know too much about Ordovician stuff myself, but I'd say it looks almost like a worm or something to me, because of the segments. Another thing it might be is possibly a feeding tentacle from a crinoid or echinoderm. Or maybe some sort of a swimming animal? Just figured I'd throw some ideas out there, get people thinking. -GeoJon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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