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Today, I found the following fossil in calcareous deposits from cental spain which are probably from the upper cretaceous. The little pores visible on the outside, make me think off a coral. What do you think?
What Kind of Fossil Did I Find in Central Spain?
- Thread starter DrDu
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the identification of a fossil found in calcareous deposits in central Spain, likely from the upper Cretaceous period. Participants explore various hypotheses regarding the fossil's classification, considering it may be a coral, ammonite, bivalve, or sponge.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- One participant suggests the fossil resembles a coral due to visible pores on its surface.
- Another participant proposes that the fossil may be part of an ammonite or nautiloid series, noting a curved ridged structure, but acknowledges the difficulty in making a definitive identification due to insufficient detail.
- A different participant points out that the fossil is porringer-shaped, which they argue is not characteristic of ammonites and questions the presence of a helical structure.
- Another participant suggests that the bowl-shaped depression in the fossil resembles one side of a bivalve shell.
- A later reply indicates that a professional palaeontologist identified the fossil as a sponge, likely from the hexactinellids group.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the identification of the fossil, with multiple competing hypotheses presented. The discussion includes both speculative ideas and a later professional identification, but no consensus is reached among all participants.
Contextual Notes
The discussion reflects varying interpretations based on limited visual evidence and personal expertise, leading to uncertainty regarding the fossil's classification.
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davenn
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that first image gave me a hint of an ammonite/nautiloid series fossil with the curved ridged structure ... very hard to tellDrDu said:
the second image with the porous structure ... just not enough detail/remains of the original animal
something along the lines of these fragments specially when looking at the top left sample
Dave
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Dear Dave,
just came back from vacations. The fossil is somewhat porringer shaped, which I do not expect from an ammonite. Also there is no helical structure.
Cheers
just came back from vacations. The fossil is somewhat porringer shaped, which I do not expect from an ammonite. Also there is no helical structure.
Cheers
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Bystander
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Bacculite?DrDu said:
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Baluncore
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The bowl shaped depression looks like one side of a bivalve shell.
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Finally, I had the opportunity to show the pictures to a professional palaeontologist in a museum. He identified the fossil as a sponge, most probably from the group of hexactinellids.
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jim mcnamara
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Glad you got back to us with the answer.
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davenn
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Thanks for the updateDrDu said:
Dave
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