stumped

[WendyK]

Found these little guys while at favorite little gravel quarry, loaded with brachiopods, crinoids, gastropods, etc, and am rather stumped on an i.d. for these. about the size of a navy bean, been trying to find it in my fossil books and internet, no luck. unfortunately was on ground not pulled from a layer. Is it some kind of brachiopod or possibly a cross section of some sort? My cub scouts are putting a brachiopod display together for a Wisconsin history project, and I hope we can get these I.D.ed. There are three or four on this slab.
thanks for any help.

WendyK.

 

[bakergeol]

You might want to look at pelecypods or clams.

George

 

[wolfpaw518]

I believe it's a form of coral, seem's to me there was a proper name but all references I have just say coral. (your seeing the inside, it's broke open)

neil

 

[ScubaFinder]

It does look a lot like ends of a hammer coral stalk. Many branching corals create calcium skeletons that look exactly like that. See if you can find a Frogspawn or branching hammer coral skeleton pic, your object does resemble them quite a bit, and the fact that there are 3 or 4 in the same rock leads me to believe it was one animal, and the are seeing the ends of several stalks.

Jason

 

[PBK]

I agree: coral. Actually, they look to me like weathered cross sections of horn coral.

 

[ScubaFinder]

Yep, that's exactly what I was talking about PBK, good pic.

Jason