Description
These creatures have lived in the seas since the Miocene. But the remains and traces of these animals were buried in sediment that later hardened into rock. These Echinoderms, Fossil Sea Sand Dollars are similar to those found today.
These are Echinoderms with a hard external shell.
Fossils especially this Australian Fossil Sand Dollar on Matrix are preserved in Spectacular detail. Because of the wide variety and number of these animals it is also assumed they lived in dense communities,
This Fossil is actually an animal related to modern day sand dollars and sea urchins so they are echinoderms. They have modern relatives that live in the oceans today. They lived in shallow salt water seas and lagoons.
Although there were many species of Echinoderms these had a variety of shapes; they can be globular or flattened, rounded or heart-shaped. But the most important function of the shell was to support and protect the soft body inside.
The Fossil Sand Dollars thrived in the warm shallow inland sea. Because they lived near near an ocean delta system that periodically buried the colonies in silt. This silt eventually hardened into stone that preserved the sea urchins in glorious detail.
These are Monostychia australis from the Mannum Formation. They were found in Australia.
This one is 1 7/82 inches in diameter on an irregular matrix 2 x 2 1/2..
