#fossil sea urchin shell

[uk-fossils]

Circopeltis baicheri Regular Echinoid Fossil, Ypresian Stage, Eocene France | Authentic Specimen + COA

CIRCOpeltis baicheri Regular Echinoid Fossil – Ypresian Stage, Early Eocene, Antugnac, France

This well-preserved fossil specimen is a rare Circopeltis baicheri, a regular echinoid (sea urchin) that lived during the Ypresian stage of the Early Eocene, approximately 56 to 47.8 million years ago. Found in the renowned marine fossil beds of Antugnac, southern France, this specimen exemplifies the morphological diversity and beauty of post-Paleocene echinoids.

Fossil Type & Species:

Type: Invertebrate Fossil (Regular Echinoid/Sea Urchin)

Species: Circopeltis baicheri

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Echinoidea

Order: Cidaroida (tentative placement)

Family: Cidaridae or related regular echinoid lineage

Described by: (Exact authority not formally cited; likely post-WWII paleontological records in European literature)

Geological & Stratigraphic Details:

Location: Antugnac, Aude, Occitanie, France

Formation: Ypresian marine marl and limestone beds

Geological Stage: Ypresian (Early Eocene)

Age: ~56–47.8 million years ago

Depositional Environment: Warm, shallow marine environment with carbonate-rich mud and fine sediment ideal for the preservation of echinoids

Biozone: Not specifically assigned; part of the broader Eocene echinoid-bearing beds of southern France

Morphology & Features: This Circopeltis baicheri specimen is noted for:

Symmetrical, globular to slightly flattened test (sea urchin shell)

Five distinct ambulacral zones with regularly spaced tubercles

No visible spines attached, though tubercle positions are preserved

Test diameter and surface ornamentation consistent with regular echinoid structure

Preserved in light beige to grey tones, sometimes with original sediment matrix attached

Notable: Circopeltis is a lesser-known but scientifically relevant genus of regular echinoids from the Eocene of France. Specimens like baicheri are rarely seen outside academic collections. Their presence helps define biodiversity recovery and reef evolution in the early Paleogene after the K-Pg mass extinction.

Specimen Details:

Origin: Antugnac, France

Species: Circopeltis baicheri

Fossil Type: Echinoid Shell (Regular Sea Urchin)

Geological Stage: Ypresian, Early Eocene

Size Reference: Scale rule square = 1cm (see photo for exact size)

Note: You will receive the exact specimen shown in the photograph

Authenticity & Quality: This fossil is professionally verified and 100% genuine. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. No restoration, casting, or enhancement has been applied.

Why Choose This Fossil? Ideal for:

Fossil collectors and echinoderm enthusiasts

Educational and teaching displays

Early Paleogene marine life studies

Decorative fossil art with scientific value

Shipping & Packaging: Fast, tracked shipping with secure, eco-conscious packaging. Each fossil is handled with expert care to ensure safe delivery.

Add a scientifically significant and visually elegant Circopeltis baicheri echinoid fossil to your collection from the beautiful marine beds of Antugnac, France.

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

[katarinanavane]

Curio collection earrings! Just listed a backlog of earrings (link in bio if you want one!) Featuring doll eyes, snake bones, beetle shells, sea urchin spines, and more!

[centre-cannot-hold]

[prasemvanguardgerman]

More photos are coming.

Have an free Sunday with Fossils & Coffee after.

Found probably three flints with mussels, two shards from urchin molds.

And then the fragmented & intact urchins. Three have bad effect from the naturell erosion progress, but it‘s the work of time, so it‘s fine.

The one little in gray urchin fossil is intact.

Also found the matching pieces of an brocken intact echinodea family speciemen.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Chondrichthyes - Heterodontiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

While several extinct genera of Heterodontiformes are known from the Jurassic, today only one genus, Heterodontus, the “Bullhead Sharks” remains. Ten living species of bullhead shark have been described.

Bullhead sharks are relatively small, with the largest species reaching just 1.65 metres (5.5 ft) in maximum length. They have tapered bodies, with blunt, proportionally large heads, relatively small mouths, pig-like snouts, and pronounced ridges above their eyes. They have two large dorsal fins, the first larger than the second, and an anal fin. Both dorsal fins have a rigid spine at the front of each fin which is used for defense. Bullhead Sharks are bottom feeders in tropical and subtropical waters. They have cusped grasping teeth at the front of the mouth, and flattened teeth at the back of the mouth. They use the flattened teeth at the back of their mouth to crush hard-shelled prey like bivalves, crustaceans, and sea urchins, and the grasping teeth on soft-bodied prey like worms, anemones, and octopuses. They hunt at night by "walking" along the sea floor with alternating motions of their pectoral and pelvic fins.

Bullhead shark egg cases are shaped like an auger, with two spiral flanges. This allows the egg cases to become wedged in the crevices of rocky sea floors, where the eggs are protected from predators; however, some bullhead sharks deposit their eggs on sponges or seaweed. Due to their spiral shape, each egg case requires several hours to rotate out of the mother shark's cloaca (Oof). She usually lays two at a time. The eggs typically hatch after 7 to 12 months, depending on the species. The pups will usually reach over 14 cm in length by the time they leave the egg case.

The Heterodontiforms appear in the fossil record in the Early Jurassic, with modern forms appearing in the Late Jurassic. Despite the very ancient origins of the genus, phylogenetic evidence indicates that all living species in the genus arose from a single common ancestor that survived the K-Pg extinction.

Propaganda under the cut:

Female Japanese Bullhead Sharks (Heterodontus japonicus) are known to deposit their eggs in communal nests, with as many as 15 eggs left in the same nest.

Horn Sharks (Heterodontus francisci) (image 2) have relatively small territories they hunt in at night, returning to the same “house” during the day. They may remain faithful to the same territory for over a decade. Now that’s a homebody.

Horn Sharks are queued by light rather than by an internal clock. In laboratory settings, they will become active as soon as lights are turned off. If they are in the middle of something when the lights are turned on, they may stop swimming and sink to the bottom. In one experiment where the sharks were kept in darkness, they remained continuously active for 11 days before slowing from fatigue. (☹️)

The Horn Shark generates the highest known bite force relative to its size of any shark, which it uses to crack into mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans. One study found the average bite force for this species in the wild to be 95 N with a maximum of 135 N, while under experimental conditions sharks could be induced to bite with over 200 N of force.

Female Horn Sharks in the wild pick up their egg cases in their mouths and wedge them into crevices to keep them safe.

In July 2018, three people were arrested after stealing a juvenile Horn Shark from the San Antonio Aquarium. The shark was scooped out of its tank and smuggled out of the aquarium in a stroller, wrapped in a wet blanket. It was thankfully returned unharmed two days later.

The Crested Bullhead Shark (Heterodontus galeatus) (image 4) produces spiral-shaped egg capsules that are secured to seaweed or sponges with long tendrils.

The Crested Bullhead Shark is a major predator of the eggs of the Port Jackson Shark! Individual sharks have been observed taking the egg capsules in their mouths and chewing on the tough casing, rupturing it and allowing the yolk to be sucked out, or simply swallowing the capsules whole.

The Port Jackson Shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) (image 1) is a migratory species, traveling south in the summer and returning north to breed in the winter. Males tend to arrive to the breeding grounds first with the females arriving later and staying later, perhaps as a means to reduce egg predation upon their newly laid eggs.

While juvenile Port Jackson Sharks are not particularly social, adults are often seen resting in caves in groups, and prefer to associate with specific sharks based on sex and size. In lab settings, these sharks were shown to have unique personality traits and preferences, can be trained, can count, and can learn by watching other sharks.

[searchingforserendipity25]

The Sculpture of Coast

Maglor drifts ashore one mist-dark morning. 

Nerdanel finds him only by accident. Limestone had been her heart’s desire, not a son; she nearly trips on him, nearly goes around the narrow passage of tall rocks. 

The cove is full of little lives, mollusks and sand-ants and meaty sea-urchins; a peaceful place, and good. 

A seastar clings to the tangled tresses of his hair, pulsing gently Her son looks unnervingly well-made to it - a piece of castaway waste amidst the shallow tide-road of a deep pool, limbs rising and swaying with the movement of the water.

She reaches her hand to the glimmering green water and the trailing white foam to reach him, and touches only sun-warm sand.  

He blinks at her with pearlescent eyes, and she sees his hair too is seaweed, and the sea-star part of him - his eyes black and gleaming as worn black conch-shells.

His skin is the water, the sunlit water and the shifting shadows underneath the surface. Storm-tossed, he has made his way back to Western shores, but not to touch them - Nerdanel can see, too, glimpses of charred driftwood bark that were his hands. In this way the songs are true, as she has long suspected.

She thinks, for a moment, that this can be no good way to be, for the sea always bitter, and storms in Aman are fierce. His breathing swells and eases with the current.

His mouth opens, and a sound of the sea speaks - 

Water pushes against her knees, salt sprays the hem of her apron in distress. Small whirlwinds gather around the highest rocks - sargasso and char and shadow shift, fearful, displeased.

No violence at the last - what little satisfaction that is! - but a great strangeness in the mind that spills out, unbound, over the waters and the wind.

She cannot tell if he recognizes her. It does not, all in all, make a great difference. 

‘Never mind,’ Nerdanel says curtly.  ‘Stay as you are, you lost thing. I am on my way only, and you are not what I seek.’ 

Her voice in the wash of the waves is softener than she likes it to be, but she has always known how to quiet her fretting children, in their youth at least. This one, the last, is ancient; it makes little difference.

She touches a tangled curl of damp, purpling sargasso. Only once; briefly.

The narrow path grows narrower still in the gloam. Nerdanel’s feet remain steady, too wise to hurry and dare a fall. By true evening she is back in her tent, making notation of the ancient age of the rocks: their ingrained fossils and coral husks, their dead matter.

Tilion, her old friend, rises to his own work, alights upon her maps generously, sweeps the tide and all its wrecks away.

Perhaps he is there, still, the lost thing - a spirit in the water, or a pile of bones unearthed by the low tide.

Nerdanel does not turn back, and does not return. She has measured all the stone in miles, and found no good place for a quarry.

[imexperiencinggrowthgetoverit]

List of all SDV and SDV:E (Stardew Valley: Expanded) Giftable Items

Horseradish

Daffodil

Leek

Dandelion

Parsnip

Cave Carrot

Coconut

Cactus

Banana

Sap

Large Egg

Egg

Milk

Large Milk

Green Bean

Cauliflower

Potato

Garlic

Kale

Rhubarb

Melon

Tomato

Morsel

Blueberry

Fiddlehead Fern

Hot Pepper

Wheat

Radish

Red Cabbage

Starfruit

Corn

Rice

Eggplant

Artichoke

Pumpkin

Bokchoy

Yam

Chanterelle

Cranberry

Holly

Beets

Ostrich Egg

Salmonberry

Amouranth

Pale Ale

Hops

Void Egg

Mayonnaise

Duck Mayonnaise

Void Mayonnaise

Clay

Copper Bar

Silver Bar

Gold Bar

Iridium Bar

Refined Quartz

Honey

Pickles

Jam

Beer

Wine

Juice

Clam

Poppy

Copper Ore

Silver Ore

Coal

Gold Ore

Iridium Ore

Wood

Stone

Nautilus Shell

Coral

Summer Shell

Spice Berry

Sea Urchin

Grape

Spring Onion

Strawberry

Sweet Pea

Common Mushroom

Wild Plum

Hazelnut

Blackberry

Winter Root

Crystal Fruit

Snow Yam

Sweet Gem Berry

Crocus

Red Mushroom

Sunflower

Purple Mushroom

Cheese

Goat Cheese

Cloth

Truffle

Truffle Oil

Coffee Bean

Goat Milk

Large Goat Milk

Wool

Duck Egg

Duck Feather

Caviar

Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

Aged Roe

Ancient Fruit

Mead

Tulip

Summer Spangle

Fairy Rose

Blue Jazz

Apple

Green Tea

Apricot

Orange

Peach

Pomegranate

Cherry

Bug Meat

Hardwood

Maple Syrup

Oak Resin

Pine Tar

Slime

Bat Wing

Rusty Blade

Swirl Stone

Solar Essence

Void Essence

Void Pebble

Void Shard

Void Soul

Fiber

Battery

Dinosaur Mayonnaise

Roe

Squid Ink

Tea Leaves

Ginger

Taro Root

Pineapple

Mango

Cinder Shard

Magma Cap

Bone Fragment

Radioactive Ore

Radioactive Bar

Ancient Fiber

Bearberry

Conch

Dried Sand Dollar

Ferngill Primrose

Golden Ocean Flower

Goldenrod

Green Mushroom

Four-Leaf Clover

Monster Fruit

Monster Mushroom

Mushroom Colony

Poison Mushroom

Red Baneberry

Salal Berry

Slime Berry

Rafflesia

Sports Drink

Stamina Capsule

Thistle

Void Root

Winter Star Ross

Dewdrop Berry

Aged Blue Moon Wine

Blue Moon Wine

Aegis Elixir

Armor Elixir

Barbarian Elixir

Gravity Elixir

Haste Exilir

Hero Elixir

Lightning Elixir

Pufferfish

Anchovy

Tuna

Sardine

Bream

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Rainbow Trout

Salmon

Walleye

Perch

Carp

Catfish

Pike

Sunfish

Red Snapper

Herring

Eel

Octopus

Red Mullet

Squid

Seaweed

Green Algae

Seacucumber

Super Seacucumber

Ghost Carp

White Algae

Stone Fish

Crimsonfish

Angler

Icepip

Lava Eel

Legend

Sandfish

Scorpion Carp

Flounder

Midnight Carp

Mutant Carp

Sturgeon

Tiger Trout

Bullhead

Tilapia

Chub

Dorado

Albacore

Shad

Lingcod

Halibut

Lobster

Crayfish

Crab

Cockle

Mussel

Shrimp

Snail

Periwinkle

Oyster

Woodskip

Glacierfish

Void Salmon

Slimejack

Midnight Squid

Spookfish

Blobfish

Stingray

Lionfish

Blue Discus

Baby Lunaloo

Bonefish

Bull Trout

Butterfish

Clownfish

Daggerfish

Dulse Seaweed

Frog

Gemfish

Goldenfish

Grass Carp

King Salmon

Kittyfish

Lunaloo

Meteor Carp

Minnow

Puppyfish

Radioactive Bass

Razor Trout

Seahorse

Sea Sponge

Shiny Lunaloo

Snatcher Worm

Starfish

Torpedo Trout

Undeadfish

Void Eel

Water Grub

Dwarf Scroll 1

Dwarf Scroll 2

Dwarf Scroll 3

Dwarf Scroll 4

Chipped Amphora

Arrowhead

Ancient Doll

Elvish Jewelry

Chewing Stick

Ornamental Fan

Dinosaur Egg

Rare Disc

Ancient Sword

Rusty Spoon

Rusty Spur

Rusty Cog

Chicken Statue

Ancient Seed

Prehistoric Tool

Dried Starfish

Anchor

Glass Shards

Bone Flute

Prehistoric Handaxe

Dwarvish Helm

Dwarf Gadget

Ancient Drum

Golden Mask

Golden Relic

Strange Doll

Strange Doll

Prehistoric Scapula

Prehistoric Tibia

Prehistoric Skull

Skeletal Hand

Prehistoric Rib

Prehistoric Vertebrae

Skeletal Tail

Nautilus Shell

Amphibian Fossil

Palm Fossil

Trilobite

Emerald

Aquamarine

Ruby

Amethyst

Topaz

Jade

Diamond

Prismatic Shard

Quartz

Fire Quartz

Frozen Tear

Earth Crystal

Alamite

Bixite

Baryite

Aerinite

Calcite

Dolomite

Esperite

Fluorapatite

Geminite

Helvite

Jamborite

Jagoite

Kyanite

Lunarite

Malachite

Nepunite

Lemon Stone

Nekoite

Orpiment

Petrified Slime

Thunder Egg

Pyrite

Ocean Stone

Ghost Crystal

Tiger’s Eye

Jasper

Opal

Fire Opal

Celestine

Marble

Sandstone

Granite

Basalt

Limestone

Soapstone

Hematite

Mudstone

Obsidian

Slate

Fairy Stone

Star Shards

Fried Egg

Omelet

Salad

Cheese Cauliflower

Baked Fish

Parsnip Soup

Vegetable Medley

Complete Breakfast

Fried Calimari

Strange Bun

Lucky Lunch

Fried Mushrooms

Pizza

Bean Hotpot

Glazed Yams

Carp Surprise

Hashbrowns

Pancakes

Salmon Dinner

Fish Taco

Crispy Bass

Pepper Poppers

Bread

Tom Kha Soup

Trout Soup

Chocolate Cake

Pink Cake

Rhubarb Pie

Cookies

Spaghetti

Spicy Eel

Sashimi

Maki Roll

Tortilla

Red Plate

Eggplant Parmesan

Rice Pudding

Ice Cream

Bluberry Tart

Autumn’s Bounty

Pumpkin Soup

Super Meal

Cranberry Sauce

Stuffing

Farmer’s Lunch

Survival Burger

Dish’O’The Sea

Miner’s Treat

Roots Platter

Triple Shot Espresso

Seafoam Pudding

Algae Soup

Pale Broth

Plum Pudding

Artichoke Dip

Stir Fry

Roasted Hazelnuts

Pumpkin Pie

Radish Salad

Fruit Salad

Blackberry Cobbler

Cranberry Candy

Bruschetta

Coleslaw

Fiddlehead Risotto

Poppyseed Muffin

Chowder

Fish Stew

Escargot

Lobster Bisque

Maple Bar

Crab Cakes

Shrimp Cocktail

Ginger Ale

Banana Pudding

Mango Sticky Rice

Poi

Tropical Curry

Squid Ink Ravioli

Mushroom Berry Rice

Big Bark Burger

Flower Cookie

Frog Legs

Glazed Butterfish

Grampleton Orange Chicken

Mixed Berry Pie

Baked Berry Oatmeal

Void Delight

Void Salmon Sushi

[echinoid-fossils-on-the-rocks]

The Echinoid diversity of my finds from the last weekend. From the middle of August.

All in chert - flint rock with the unknown rock fossil with the pattern from the post before. With an near flat intact, some fragmented and an echinoid in half with the flint-rock matrix

The nicely most in shape orange echinoids with their missing star or hole pattern like other have. All so oval rounded without trace from previous of their lost shell pattern.

Also they are a lot smaller in contrast to other sea urchin ancestors with round form & star markings. Will be harder do spotting fragments of them like any round natural polished rock of flint.

They have their reminisce form and the curve but lacking other markings hard to identify. Have now an handful of them all in orange to red flint-chert stone. Oddly.

We here in middle Germany calling all sort of flint or chert commonly simple„flint or Feuerstein“ in all of the colors or banded ones, not only the dark rocks of them.

And the photos from the finding of one. I still do documentary pics often of the fossil rock search trips, I forget most times to make good photos and the most pics are blurry or shaken or bad lights outside.

And also with the dirty gloves handful of rocks one hand and the free other hand with tools, prepare to looking for more fossils in front of me with a lot of millions rocks in the surrounding. 👀😅

[4sqadia-8anthen]

OOOO WE HAVE A BIG HOARDDDD

!! TW FOR ANIMAL BONES & INSECT MENTION !!

first off we hve our shrine of small plushies and dragons >:3

some of the hundreds of feathers we own, none bought, all either found ourself or given to us (THE CAMERA WOULDNT PICK IT UP RAHHHH)

or best skulls we own!! :DD from left to right: flattened snake (left of moose, got caught in hay baler and found at work), moose (cow), north american porcupine (under the moose), whitetail deer (doe), red fox (bought, bleached, badly glued teeth), coyote (male, blued together myself, named Toby), whitetail deer (buck, rodent chewed antlers away now it just has demon horn-like stubs), whitetail deer (buck, roof of mouth can separate) also some moose jaw bones behind on the right side (none of the 3 belong to the skull)

worn skull (center top, was left in the woods for 3 years before being brought in) jaw bones (upper right), deer ear (top left), unidentifiable skull (above ear), moose vertebrae (along lower shelf), nest (upper right), and a ton of rocks around! >:333 of what you cant see there is a small skull of a mouse that is less than a cm, a beaver skull, and some porcupine quills

our collection of rusty metal stuff found on the side of the road (except for the watch [found by river] and beads [found in school on floor])

our collection of old coins!! :D we even have one that goes back to the 1800s >:3 but we have a couple wheat pennies, some of those bison nickels and for some reason, we have bermuda coins, canadian coins, european coins, all that jazz

some stuff in here

in the jar? 2 cicadas, 2 bumble bees, and this STUPID FLY THAT LOOKS LIKE A BUMBLE BEE THAT GIVES US THE HEEBIE JEEBIES- >:|||

in the front you can see some discarded songbird eggshells

above those, a bit to the left, you can see some raw gypsum

in the little bowl that is barely visible (left) there are a bunch of cicada skins

to the right there are rocks and on top of the ricks you may be able to see some abandoned fishing lured that i found in another state

in the very back on the right, there is a large patterned rock, i thought it was BEAUTIFUL (i was doing nordic skiing practice so was running thru woods) couldnt leave it behind :( ran all the way back with a 5 lb rock in my arms 😭

LEFT TO RIGHT

flattened shells on the bottom

container of many small seashells

above it is some kind of cephalopod fossil

in the back in the rock is a lot of small shell fossils, very densely packed

a bit lower is some shells

between them is a green sea urchin, right under it is 2 starfish

all the way down you can see a dried up salamander

in the bottle beside it there is some shark teeth

in one of the even smaller bottles to the right (you cant see whats in it) there is a teeny tiny fully developed feather, about a half inch long

in the bag on the right there are many large bivalve shells

some pieces of the geodes I broke open (THEY LOOK WAY PRETTIER IN PERSON — THE ROOM WASNT BRIGHT ENOUGH AND WE WERE RUSHING) (AND NOOOOOOO THE BEDSHEETS GOT SO DIRTYYYY 😭)

and finally our highlighter hoard :PP (they are all nebs wives)

we just feel an instinctual urge to hoard things, mostly rocks, animal bones, and (not shown here) TONS of 4+ leaf clovers (we have over 200) we just must have it if it is of nature, we think autism takes part in it as well the bones also just interest us because of our interest in animals in general, so we just MUST keep anything we can learn about animals from >:333

i hope you enjoyed the hoardddd!! ^^

I am so curious about what fellow dragonkins hoard (for those who hoard, or have an urge to, obviously)

Like…I love to see dragonkins proud of their hoard, no matter what it is, I want to see your hoards, know about it, understand you better, see what your dragon brain and instincts decided to make you hoard

If any dragonkins (that hoard) come across this post, please tell me what you hoard I want to hear about it 😔

[uk-fossils]

HOLECTYPUS DEPRESSUS Fossil Echinoid Sea Urchin Jurassic Cornbrash Somerset UK Authentic Specimen

This listing features a well-preserved fossil echinoid (sea urchin) of the species Holectypus depressus, collected from the Cornbrash Formation in Somerset, United Kingdom. This authentic Jurassic marine invertebrate fossil is provided with a Certificate of Authenticity, and the photo shows the exact specimen you will receive.

Holectypus depressus belongs to:

Order: Holectypoida

Family: Holectypidae

This echinoid lived during the Bathonian Stage of the Middle Jurassic Period, approximately 168–166 million years ago. The Cornbrash Formation consists of marine shelly limestones and mudstones deposited in a shallow marine, inner shelf environment that supported a diverse array of invertebrate life.

Morphological Features:

Flattened, oval test (shell) with a low dome profile

Petaloid ambulacra with finely impressed pore pairs

Oral surface flattened with distinct peristome

Smooth to lightly granulated surface, often symmetrical

These features suggest an infaunal or semi-infaunal lifestyle, with the organism likely burrowing or living on soft marine sediments.

Specimen Details:

Species: Holectypus depressus

Fossil Type: Echinoid (Sea Urchin) Test

Geological Unit: Cornbrash Formation

Geological Age: Middle Jurassic (Bathonian Stage)

Location: Somerset, United Kingdom

Depositional Environment: Shallow marine shelf, calcareous muds and shelly limestones

Family: Holectypidae

This is a fine example of a Jurassic echinoid fossil from a historically significant geological unit in the UK, ideal for fossil collectors, educators, or anyone with a passion for ancient marine life.

Scale rule squares/cube = 1cm. Please see the photograph for full sizing and condition.

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

[katarinanavane]

Tiny curio collection pendants! I try to put as many interesting tiny things in each of these as possible, so if you like tiny things you've come to the right place

Possible contents include: fossils, tiny bones, opal chips, emu eggshell pieces, preserved seaweed, sea urchin spines, barnacle feeding feelers shells, 17 year cicada wings shell legs or claws, jewel beetle shell pieces, coral pieces, ancient Egyptian beads, gears, and more!

These will be available first at the Detroit oddities expo July 13-14 (2024 in case you're reading this in the future) but I'll list them online after that. I also messed up half the batch (not pictured) so if you're interested in a "second" at a discount let me know (the glue wasn't completely dry between the resin layers before the second pour so some items have a milky-looking aura.)

[ardentguilt]

Sea urchin

Got given this today by my grandmother to add to my collection of minerals and fossil.

An intact sea urchin shell/skeleton and one of the biggest intact ones I’ve seen with some nice green and grey/purplish coloration.

I am currently working on getting a specific species ID for this one and will update this once I have that but for now it’s just sea urchin.

[ninjaotta]

beach haul from my family’s holiday to norfolk!

1.5 sea urchins

20 scallop shells

11 belemnite fossils

2 massive mussel shells

cool rocks (23)

pretty shells & bits (8)

17 sea glass

one (1) bit of porcelain or something that was real nice n smooth

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Bryozoa

(sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Bryozoa is a phylum of animals that, like many Cnidarians, live in colonies of cloned zooids that make up a larger organism, though some solitary species exist. They are commonly known as “Moss Animals”. Each individual bryozoan is usually about half a millimetre long. Colonies of bryozoans can take a variety of forms, including mats, fans, bushes, crusts, and balls. All bryozoans are filter feeders, using a crown of tentacles called a lophophore which surrounds a mouth. Most live in tropical saltwater, but some also live in oceanic trenches, polar seas, brackish water, and freshwater. 5,869 living species of bryozoan are known.

In a colony of bryozoans, there are different types of zooids responsible for different functions. All bryozoans will have autozooids (seen in the first image), which are responsible for feeding, excretion, and supplying nutrients to the rest of the colony. Some species have specialist zooids, including hatcheries for fertilized eggs, defense structures, root-like attachment structures, and/or spiny defensive zooids that are used as legs to slowly creep along. Each zooid consists of a cystid, which provides the body wall and produces an exoskeleton, and a polypide, which holds the organs. Each colony grows by asexual budding from a single zooid known as the ancestrula. Most start life as males, later changing to female, though colonies will always contain a balanced ratio of males and females. Although the zooids themselves are microscopic, colonies can range in size from 1 cm to over 1 m (3 ft 3 in).

Propaganda under the cut:

Bryozoans are an important part of the food chain, and are preyed on by nudibranchs, fish, sea urchins, pycnogonids, crustaceans, mites, starfish, snails, and insects. Likewise they are also important filter feeders, providing filtering services just like mussels and sponges do.

Fossil bryozoans are known as far back as the early Cambrian, making them one of the youngest phyla in the fossil record. (Though they may have appeared earlier and just not fossilized due to less mineralization in their skeletons.)

The genus Monobryozoon are the only bryozoans that don’t live in colonies. Their name literally means “Alone Moss Animal”. They are very rare, considered almost a mythical animal among scientists. One species has been found 3 times, another species once, and the last species may not even exist, as its one sighting was not confirmed.

Species that can produce defensive zooids only do so in response to a threat. They may produce these new warriors within 48 hours of sensing said threat.

Many bryozoans have symbiotic relationships with animals of other phyla. For example, the bryozoan Alcyonidium nodosum protects the whelk Burnupena papyracea from the predatory Rock Lobster (Jasus lalandii) by forming a strong crust on its shell and producing chemical defenses which deter the lobster.

Members of a bryozoan colony are genetically identical and co-operate with the use of chemical signals. They can respond to the scent of predators or rival colonies as one. Teamwork makes the… weird little ball of guys work.

I like to imagine them talking like the aliens from Toy Story

[prasemvanguardgerman]

Some pictures taken from the last months since April. Rock dish served on the evening.

Already seen here, but i have other fossils like ammonites or the fish plate fossil not presented here.

And others for an other moment like the Fossil Fridays without new recently finds myself.

Now 3 medium cups & bowls with echinodea sea urchins and some aulaxinia sponges full, good easy to pick and showing them & cpmpare and storage place in an nice display, with the sponges and minerals on two saucers with the fossil and shell theme. ☕️🐚

Oh also an tea / coffee set of them with two cups, found recently.

The bigger ones with ammonites are in the glas vitrine, with the Digital Monsters Precious G.E.M figures from Megahouse now in display.

They are a lot more with the others now.

[mybookof-you]

"Flint is something special. Even here, battered and rolled along the coast a few miles from its source, it often retains its white calcium-carbonate coat, a striking contrast to the charcoal-black interior. Where it has been chipped or otherwise broken there is a characteristic pattern of fracture known as ‘conchoidal’, the word derived from the Greek word for mussel shell, konchē, with which the radiating lines fanning out from the striking point share a similarity. Sometimes there are other colours inside, patches of grey, almost fossil-like impressions. While the formation of flint within the sediments that become chalk remains a mystery, the occasional impressions of sea- urchins or corals suggest a silica-rich ooze, formed around the remains of dead sea creatures. Millions of years later, as the flint nodules fall out of the cliffs, the white outer will eventually be lost to the constant rolling by the waves and the flint will appear as a pale grey pebble, its only tell the dull clang underfoot or any chips or breaks. Or holes."