This site has gone through numerous changes since its release in July, 2021! The information in this branch of the site may not be as up to date as the newer parts. If a post has outdated or incorrect information, a small icon can be found in the corner of its cover picture, alerting youContinue reading “Old Bringing Fossils to Life”
Monthly Archives: April 2023
Gastropods
Like most mollusks, gastropods have a toothed tongue-like organ called the radula for food processing. Gastropods are the most successful mollusks today, with over 40,000 species. They inhabit saltwater, freshwater, and many biomes on land, and are usually characterized by a large muscular foot and an offset-spiraling shell (2). Gastropods found at Seven Stars BembexiaContinue reading “Gastropods”
Cephalopods
Cephalopods were mollusks, like gastropods, scaphopods, chitons, and bivalves. Like many mollusks they had shells made of calcium carbonate and processed food with a toothed, tongue-like radula. Cephalopods are still alive today, and include the nautilus, squid, cuttlefish, octopuses, and others. Cephalopods found at Seven Stars Agoniatites vanuxemi VERY RARE Bactrites aciculum UNCOMMON Michelinoceras telamonContinue reading “Cephalopods”
Trilobites
Trilobites were enormously successful arthropods that lived throughout the Paleozoic (2). They are thought to have been most closely related to living horseshoe crabs, but are themselves not chelicerates (3). Four species of trilobites have been found at Seven Stars, but as usual only their hard exoskeletons are preserved. Trilobites found at Seven Stars DipleuraContinue reading “Trilobites”