Help with this fossil - What the heck is it?

[PatrickD]

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone tell me what kind of fossil this is?

It looks like a sand dollar pattern shape on the top but it is fairly round and about half the size of a golf ball.

I am including three pictures.

top


bottom


side view


There is a creek by my house in Texas with a seemingly endless supply of them.

Thanks for your help with this.

Patrick

 

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[old digger]

''Sanddollar fossil'' You guessed it! Really Nice Find!

 

[PatrickD]

Shouldnt it be flat like a sand dollar? This think is round and almost an inch tall. I have some sand dollars but they are really flat.

 

[Age_old]

It is a cousin of the sand dollar. It's called an Echinoid. Nice one, it has some great detail. We get tons of them down here in Florida

 

[PatrickD]

It is a cousin of the sand dollar. It's called an Echinoid. Nice one, it has some great detail. We get tons of them down here in Florida

Hi Sam,

Thanks for that. I have been using them in my collection as sort of decoration. A buddy of mine went into this creek and filled a small book bag of them. There are still a lot of them there.

I do appreciate the input.

Patrick

 

[PatrickD]

Ohhh, Now I get it.

(Thanks to Sam I did a little more research.)

Its a sea urchin fossil.

I found this link:

DISCOVERING FOSSILS | What is an echinoid?

"Despite their alien appearance, echinoids, or sea-urchins as they are better known, are very common in the seas and oceans of today and are common fossils too. Their name derives from the Greek 'echin' ('spiny'), referring to their protective spines and presumably 'ooid' (egg-like) in reference to their globular shell, or test as it is known. Echinoids are part of a much larger group of animals known as the Echinoderms ('spiny-skins'), which also includes the Asteroids (starfish), Holothurians (sea cucumbers), Crinoids (sea lilies and feather stars) and the Ophiuroids (brittle stars)."

Thanks everyone! You guys are awesome!

Patrick

 

[panhandler]

actually it looks just like a sea urchin, after they die the spikey legs fall off and they bleach out white. used to find the empty round bodies all over the reefs on Guam back in the 70's

 

[Age_old]

Yep, it's basically a sea urchin with no spines. Glad I could help!

 

[mamabear]

that's a great find!! I've seen them live but never a fossil of one. I want to play in Your creek!

 

[PatrickD]

Hi Mamabear,

Well, if it helps, The creek is located in the DFW area of Texas.

As a matter of fact, if you google this address, you will see the creek right next to it. That is where they come from.

1000 Burton Hill Road Fort worth 76114. Use the google maps satellite view and zoom down. The address is an apartment complex and you will see the creek right next to the parking lot. The visible part of the creek along that complex is where they all come from. It seems to be an unlimited supply.

Patrick

 

[tncreeker]

I grew up in Jax. Fl. and there was a RR track that we used as a short cut. The tracks had thousands of those. Like instead of granite or gravel, they used those fossils as rock. Never thought anything of it till years later.

 

[GatorBoy]

I belive they have not changed much over time. I found this one while lobster diving. It was kinda purple when I found it.

 

[BeachComber7]

Looks like a sea biscuit.

 

[GatorBoy]

Buttermilk....mmmm

 

[firehorse12]

My husband calls these sea urchins I believe. I'll find out.

 

[GatorBoy]

They are. They had spines when they were alive. The round ones are more common.