#sponge fossil

[echinoid-fossils-on-the-rocks]

Like the pic before last evening yesterday, found this flat top piece of an brown echinodem fossil top, with flat cut grey open underside. Without many other stones here.

Then on the route back the half piece end of an new aulaxinia sulficera sponge with this wave pattern, was on the back walk from the stone road.

[prasemvanguardgerman]

The new finds from the today trip to the mentioned stone road & one location with piles.

They are sponges aulaxinia sulficera - the in lengt two again and the round stone with the mold on it. I have already an specimen like this in dark flint.

Then the in half round open chert/ flint cut sponge with the inner pattern.

The first like this with an clear pattern of some struckture shown!!

And an absolutly tiny echinoid core, if you zoom in you can see the little reminicent pattern.

At first without cleaning, i was thinking it was an fungus on it, but afterwards the pattern is in the flint, likely calcite.

[echinoid-fossils-on-the-rocks]

For sponge fossils reference of identification.

Sponges (and hydrozoa) of the Jurassic and Cretaceous.

[yee-qi]

Perspectives #7

"Garden of Cambrian Sights”

Innovatiocaris/Microdictyion/Haikouichthys/Eldonia/Fortiforceps

Cambrian, 518 million years ago, Maotianshan Shales (China) The Chengjiang Biota was composed of a hugely diverse array of invertebrates. Just in this picture alone, you have Innovatiocaris, Microdictyon, Fortiforceps, Eldonia, Haikouichthys, primitive annellids, priapulida, sponges, and echinoderms. It might not have always looked as helish as this, though... Based on the third panel of "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymous Bosch.

This is a part of my Perspectives series! You can find previous entries in #perspectives on my blog.

[r-acicularis]

Geology tingz

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Fossil Friday: Choia

For the last Fossil Friday this month I thought I would talk about my favorite Cambrian fossil: Choia.

As a vertebrate paleontologist, it might seem weird that my favorite animal isn't something like Pikaia or Haikouichthys.

Let me explain. I was born and raised in the American southwest. Cholla (pronounced choy-uh) is a type of cactus found in southern Colorado and Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

My favorite variety of cholla? Jumping Cholla. That's right. I said Jumping Cactus. This cactus uses friction to throw bits of itself at those who potentially want to steal its water and it hurts like a bitch.

There are little barbs on the ends that get lodged in the skin and you need pliers to pull them out (happened to my grandma on a date with my grandpa. Fun times for them.).

Back to the fossil Choia. It is not a cactus, nor is it even a plant. It is a type of sponge.

This sponge does look remarkable like a piece of cholla cactus though which is how it got its name. Now, it probably did throw its spines like the cactus but they would have made it very difficult to eat.

it is a type of demosponge, the same kind we use for bath sponges. (I don't recommend using a Choia though. There are eight species known from Canada, Utah, China and Morocco.

It was not a very big sponge at only about 2 cm in diameter though its spicules added an extra 3 cm onto that. It lived on the seafloor where spicules may have helped hold it up above the sediment-water interface.

It was a suspension feeder so particles of organic matter were extracted from the water as they passed through canals in the sponges wall.

Hope you've come to find both Choia and cholla as cool as I do. Fossilize you later!

[syncarida]

Archaeocyatha fossils in Wilkawillina Gorge

[atrocioushellsite]

Some fossils from our local quarry 🤩 it's one of the oldest and best preserved fossilized coral reefs in the world, I find something cool every time I go ❤️

[covenawhite66]

Named Cyathophycus balori, the newly-identified species lived during the Carboniferous period, some 315 million years ago. It resembled the  Venus Flower Basket Sponge, which is currently found in the Pacific Ocean.

When most sponges die, they usually fall apart quickly, and often only scattered remains of the spicules are preserved as fossils,

[uk-fossils]

Receptaculites occidentalis Fossil Sponge – Ordovician, Gate City, Virginia USA – Certified Ancient Marine Fossil Specimen

This listing features a rare and well-preserved specimen of Receptaculites occidentalis, a fossil sponge from the Ordovician Period, discovered in Gate City, Virginia, USA. Dating back roughly 470 to 443 million years, this marine organism belonged to an enigmatic group of organisms once thought to be related to algae, sponges, or even corals. Today, it is generally considered an extinct form of calcareous sponge-like organism, and a classic example of early marine reef-dwelling life.

Receptaculites fossils are highly prized for their geometric, radiating pattern of plates that resemble a sunflower or pinecone, which is why they are often nicknamed "sunflower corals" or "pinecone fossils." These structures reflect the intricate organisation of their skeleton, likely made from calcite plates arranged in spirals. Despite their uncertain biological classification, Receptaculites occidentalis provides valuable insight into marine biodiversity and early reef-building organisms of the Paleozoic era.

The Ordovician strata of the Appalachian region, particularly in southwestern Virginia, are known for their rich fossil record of trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, and sponges. This particular specimen was recovered from sedimentary limestone, indicative of a shallow, warm marine environment teeming with early life.

A highly collectable piece for fossil enthusiasts, geology educators, or anyone fascinated by the earliest reef ecosystems on Earth.

Item Details:

Genus/Species: Receptaculites occidentalis

Type: Fossil Sponge (extinct calcareous marine organism)

Geological Age: Ordovician Period (~470–443 million years ago)

Location Found: Gate City, Virginia, United States

Scale Reference: Scale rule / cube = 1cm (please see photo for accurate size)

Certificate of Authenticity: Included

ACTUAL AS SEEN: The photo in this listing shows the exact specimen you will receive. Each fossil has been carefully chosen and professionally photographed. Please allow for minor differences in colour or tone due to lighting or device settings. Once this specific item is sold, the listing will be refreshed with a new specimen, image, and updated measurements.

100% Genuine Fossil – Professionally Selected – Certificate of Authenticity Included

[echinoid-fossils-on-the-rocks]

The haul of small fossils like an typical beachcore trip finds, but I was not near any beach or sea. I’m recently vary happy now.

All of this little fossils like the skeleton coral parts, mussels, belemnite nautiloide and crinoid traces found in my direct neighborhood & at my workplace area near the parking lot with the gravel rose beds.

I’m absolutely not near any sea. All new mussel & coral parts eagerly to find with luck within my work time outside from the last days.

After weeks of hopefully thinking, to find some coral traces myself on this area are now reality.

[prasemvanguardgerman]

Die Fossiliensuche geht weiter !

Found some fossilised echinoderm with an handful of round amount of Aulaxinia sulcifera sponge in flint. Flint & chert are the dominant sedimented rocks here with fossil finds.

Again he and his long dead dry urchins !!

One round is fully complete with no cracks.

[echinoid-fossils-on-the-rocks]

For special specimen finds reference of identification.

Sponges. Big fan of their texture.

[the-unofficial-village-idiot]

The fact that sea sponges are animals makes me so happy. Sponge is animal :)

[natureandphotography1]

📷 by natureandphotography1 (Flickr, Autumn Blog, Nerdy Blog)

Please do not remove credit :)

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Here the result of the last formation stream of 2024. Over the course of 6 hours we explored the many organisms that inhabited the reefs of the Whitewater formation.

This formation preserves a rich benthic community with many sessile animals. Towering above all were the giant columnar sponges of the genus Aulacers, up to 3 m tall Ordovician skyscrapers. Between them hovered cephalopods and swam the eurypterid Megalopraptus.

Most organisms from here wer small, just a few centimeters, which is why Discord member JW made a second size chart just to bring across how the largest animals, Megalograptus and the giant trilobite Isotelus, compared to the rest.

I think something that is often overlooked in discussions about these formations is the animals we don't have. There are no crustaceans here, no jellyfish, although they probably still made up a significant part of the biomass. These animals are simply not preserved which makes our image of the Whitewater formation incomplete and biased towards the hard shelled organism. As a paleoartist one is constantly reminded of such gaps, we have to decide how much we want to speculate or borrow from other localities, or if we want to stick strictly to the fossil record.

In these formation pieces I usually do the latter but I'm painfully aware how much I miss in each piece.

Btw. since this is the last formation piece of the year I would love to hear which one was your favorite?!