I found, I found!

[pambosk]

Hello people, 

This and more stuff I found on the hills of Ayios Athanasios, app 10km from the beach.

It looks like a shell, or 2 shells, and I think is one of the cases that needs to be cleaned. Any idea how to remove the white stone material without breaking the 'shell' which is brown/orange/yellow colored

[Darktooth]

Depending on the hardness of the matrix, you may be able to scrape away the matrix with a dental pick. Go slow and consolidate if needed.

[pambosk]

ok I am almost there.. it appears to be half a brachiopod before i post more photos i have some questions:

 

1) Will water ruin it?

 

2) at some point there are 3-4 white little pipe-like things, various lengths from 1mm-7mm and 0.5mm thickness.  They are smooth/glossy when u touch them, they all seem to be attached on the same side.  What is their significance? Doubt my camera can show, but they really look like the smallest size of spaghetti if it helps. 

 

[westcoast]

Water won't damage it. Some brachiopods such as productids have external spines. I'm not saying you have a productid but you may have a brachiopod with spines.

[pambosk]

and voila my 1st preparation I will clean a bit more later.  Anyone knows what do I do with the inside?

And what kind of brachiopod is it for that matter?

 

 

[westcoast]

EXCELLENT Job! 

[westcoast]

It's probably a terebratulla. Check faunal lists for your area.

Oops typo..should be terebratula.

[pambosk]

Terebratula phillipsis not so sure, even though they look similar, but according to my little research, it would be elongated and not so round as this one (http://collections.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr/paleontologieenseignementclefbrachiopodesarticules.html) .  Could those white 'spines' indicate a Productus horridus or a local kind of productus?  Basically now that you can see those 'spines, are they spines indeed ? i found more here and there but i accidentally picked them off 

[westcoast]

No I don't think they are spines. They look more like encrusting epibionts

[Kane]

I agree with @westcoast - The irregularity of these spiny features does seem to suggest epibionts of some kind. But this hardly detracts from the fact that you found an interesting fossil, and that you prepped it fairly well

 

[JohnBrewer]

Great job on the preparation!