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Our Little Pin Cushion Friends


RJB

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I was lucky enough to run into these great little flattened echinoids in Northern Cal. I had loads of fun prepping them and did lots and lots of trade with these little beautys! They are known as Scuttelaster major, found in both the Scotia Sandstone and Rio Dell formations, both being pliocene in age, but the Rio Dell is a bit older. If you look closely you can see the 'Poop shoot' on the first photo near the edge of the test. The modern ones today, (Dendraster echcentricus) has the poop shoot on the ventral side.

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is this one of the same things. i have been trying to get an id on it.

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and the matrix

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brock

Hey Brocko dude. It certaily looks the same? Do you know where it came from? There is another one that looks just like it called Anorthoscuttem, but its supposed to be rare. I guess the only way to tell them apart is by the plate stucture, but I was not about to get that involved.

RB

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i purchased it at the tucson show early in my collecting days and lost the info on it. i doubt it is rare as i only paid a small amount for it. if you could let me know what formation you think it is from i would be very greatful. then i can finally get a label for it.

brock

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Nice Echnoids!

Man that big slab is so cooL!!!

good preservation on them aswell, great finds! :lol:

"Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"


We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

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i purchased it at the tucson show early in my collecting days and lost the info on it. i doubt it is rare as i only paid a small amount for it. if you could let me know what formation you think it is from i would be very greatful. then i can finally get a label for it.

brock

Thats a tuff one Brock. These things are found from south of santa cruz all the way up to candada, they just happen to be very common from the two formations i use to hunt but much much harder to find on other areas. It also in situ with some conglomerate and that makes me think that it could be from Northern cal, but there is some gravel lenses with echs also in the perisima formation. Without really knowing I would just say that its a Scuttelaster from the Pliocene, maybe older and leave it at that? I wish I could be of more help.

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I don't think I have ever seen one polished. It really brings out the structure . Cool :Thumbs-up:

Hey Solius. I used to find lots of these. some in concreted layers in very hard rock, but even some in the much softer sandstone they would sometimes have a very hard 'crust' on them. The ones in the concretions or layers are actualy very difficult to prep, and even the ones in the soft stuff took some serious prep to bring them 'out'!!! Dont tell Anson. But I did keep a few that somehow were naturaly preserved and showed the hole critter without having to destroy the integrity of the fossil. But for most, I had to take my grinder to them and polish them. Some came out freakin gorgeous!!!

RB

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Hey Solius. I used to find lots of these. some in concreted layers in very hard rock, but even some in the much softer sandstone they would sometimes have a very hard 'crust' on them. The ones in the concretions or layers are actualy very difficult to prep, and even the ones in the soft stuff took some serious prep to bring them 'out'!!! Dont tell Anson. But I did keep a few that somehow were naturaly preserved and showed the hole critter without having to destroy the integrity of the fossil. But for most, I had to take my grinder to them and polish them. Some came out freakin gorgeous!!!

RB

ha ha hahahahahaHAHAHAHAAHAHAHABWWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

"Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitment of possibility!"


We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

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