Odd beach find

[njguy]

I found this on a beach at the jersey shore. It's about 3 1/2" width height and depth. I can't tell if it's a fossil or a cement formation that wrapped around a couple of crabs. The stone is hard and smooth like a real rock though. It doesn't rub away like cement should. But I'm no expert on cements. The creature features feel hard as stone too. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

 

[jgas]

Whats so odd about that?? It is the common Sea Monarch or Ocean Butterfly

Cool find, it sure looks like a crab encased in limestone or rock. Not sure really..sorry, someone will ID it for sure. jgas

 

[Boomdeyada]

Maybe put it in the fossil section.
What ever it is, is sure one of a kind.

 

[timekiller]

I'd say petrified crab for sure.I've seen and found them quite often out on trawl boats draging.Mostly we catch them in dredges but have snaged a few draging trawl nets also.Looks like a spider crab.Sometimes we find clam shells and such stuck with them in the concreation.
Take Care,
Pete,

 

[Tigger]

Wow! That is a gorgeous fossil!!! If the fossil guys don't ID it, move it to the fossil page further down this site, and they'll tell you everything you'd want to know about it!
Tigger

 

[Boomer-1]

That is a very nice looking fossil. Looks like fossil crabs from the Pleistocene epoch, which ranged from 10,000 to 1.6 million years ago.

 

[bradyboy]

Vey very cool
I think you have a few things going on there.
Can it be polished?
Might be worth a few pesos
Brady

 

[Monty]

At first I thought it was a spider then someone said spider crab and that I think is a winner! Monty

 

[joeman]

Fossils are awesome...
You can find Millions of year old petrified wood and and literally 'Trip Over' Dinosaur Bones up here where I live.... It's Crazy. I don't know how many times my kids have come back from a trip to the Foothills and came back with Rocks that were filled with pelecypods, cephalopods and ammonites!

Cheers,

 

[Monty]

Those words frighten me! Everything my kids use to drag home was filled with ticks, fleas, chiggers and/or tadpoles! Monty

 

[Cruisin]

Good find!!! That's a terrific fossil!

 

[njguy]

Thank you all for the info/advice...I relisted this in fossils if anyone wants to follow it there.
-NJG

 

[timekiller]

Thank you all for the info/advice...I relisted this in fossils if anyone wants to follow it there.
-NJG

I see you still wondering what type of crab it is.As stated above not the first of these I've seen.The ocean out there holds many neat finds.Once again spider crab,blue crab, green crab though hard to tell with the picks.I've been a commercial fisherman all my life. But maybe this will help you better.
http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/morraines/fossils.htm
Take Care,
Pete,