Anthozoans, or corals, are a diverse group of cnidarians that build complex living structures out of calcium. They are incredibly successful, having about 1500 living species today. Each individual coral animal is called a polyp; these can be either colonial or solitary. They filter feed with numerous stinging tentacles and represent one of the mostContinue reading “Anthozoans”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Monoplacophora
Monoplacophora is a little known molluscan group that is represented by one species at Seven Stars. They have traditionally been viewed as the original stem mollusk, as they are among the first undoubted mollusk fossils to be found in the Cambrian. They are still alive today, but unlike many fossil forms, inhabit deeper waters thatContinue reading “Monoplacophora”
Tentaculitids
Tentaculitids were Lophophorates, like Brachiopods, Bivalves, Hyolithids, Bryozoans, and Phoronids (2). This meant that they filtered plankton with a lophophore, a looping, many tentacled cephalic organ. Tentaculitids lived from the middle Cambrian to the Late Jurassic, in the past being associated with annelid worms, but being ascribed to the Lophophorates due to their shell microstructureContinue reading “Tentaculitids”
Old Bringing Fossils to Life
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 If a post has outdated or incorrect information, a small icon can be found in the corner of its cover picture, alerting youContinue reading “Old Bringing Fossils to Life”
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”
Bivalves
Bivalvia is the group that includes clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops. They are still enormously successful today, living in both salt and fresh water. Bivalves are mollusks, like cephalopods, gastropods, scaphopods, and chitons. While not as common as brachiopods at Seven Stars, they are not too hard to find. Bivalves found at Seven Stars ActinodesmaContinue reading “Bivalves”
Bringing Invertebrates to Life: Lenisicaris pennsylvanica
After both my previous posts in this series are nautiloid cephalopods, I thought it was time for an arthropod. Not just any arthropod, though. One that was mysterious. One that is misunderstood. A relative of a famous arthropod frequently portrayed in paleoart, but most of the time, inaccurately. This time, we’ll take a closer lookContinue reading “Bringing Invertebrates to Life: Lenisicaris pennsylvanica”