Very beautiful and large sponge(?) with grooves on top

[Linus]

Hi,

 

I think this thing looks stunning. The shape is gorgeous. And big!

 

Location is Sweden, Kristianstad. Period should be cretaceous, upper or lower. Probably grew quite deep under water?

 

All other fossils so far on this particular location have been sponges.

I've gone through all sponges for the cretaceous period at cretaceous.de, but haven't found anything that looks like it? 

 

In the bottom center, there is a mark that looks like it been attached to something. On the top, there are grooves, as if something perhaps was attached to the top? Or maybe not? This piece also have other fossils ingrown. Some of the other fossils I've found was ingrowns from similar items, and not burrow casts as I initially thought.

 

In the bottom center there seems to be a flower shape with 5 bulges.

 

I would be grateful for any help!

 

All the best/ Linus

 

 

 

 

Edit:

I think it looks something like this when complete?

 

Edited October 25, 2018 by Linus
added image

[abyssunder]

Were the Late Cretaceous fossil sponges of the Kristianstad Basin described / documented?

[Linus]

7 hours ago, abyssunder said:

Were the Late Cretaceous fossil sponges of the Kristianstad Basin described / documented?

Good call. Is that a rethoric question? It never occured to me some of these sponges might be unique? I'll investigate into that and see if I can find anything?

 

So, would that be referenced in litterature as porifera? Or just sponges?

[abyssunder]

Club shaped borings (like Gastrochaenolites) might have bivalves boring in hard substrate. Specimen in question might be something else, or combined.

[Linus]

On ‎2018‎-‎10‎-‎26 at 11:43 PM, abyssunder said:

Club shaped borings (like Gastrochaenolites) might have bivalves boring in hard substrate. Specimen in question might be something else, or combined.

Hmm, perhaps so and perhaps not. There are things that support that claim, The ingrown fossils, and the surface pebbles, clearly stuck to the fossil surface. But the outer shell structure also indicates that the body has a supportive function. The "shell" thickness is clearly not random. So probably more of a boring plug, than a complete boring?

 

I've started reading papers, but I'm slow. No sponges yet in the Kristianstad Basin...

 

eidt:  -the "surface pebbles", not visible in the photos, refers to another fossile I found with a similar profile. Let me know if I should post that...

[abyssunder]

2 hours ago, Linus said:

the "surface pebbles", not visible in the photos, refers to another fossile I found with a similar profile. Let me know if I should post that...

It might help, so please show us.