Hyolithid Fossils
Phylum Hyolitha
Geological Time: Lower Cambrian
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Hyolithids are 16-29 mm; matrix ~ 85-70 mm
Fossil Site: Pioche Shale, Nevada
Fossil Code: 258
Price: $39.00 - sold
The
Hyolithids are an extinct group of problematic animals that appeared in
the Cambrian and persisted into the Permian. They had a long, conically-shaped,
closed shell, with a lid (operculum) covering the opening, and a pair of
long, horn-like outgrowths. The animal lived on the sea-bottom, or partly
buried. They are usually classified as a Mollusk, though as a distinct separate
class. They reached their peak in the Cambrian and declined thereafter.
This plate with about 10 Hyolithids is a handsome fossil, with the orange fossils contrasting with the tan shale. They come from the famous, Lower Cambrian, Pioche Shale in Nevada where they are sometimes found in association with Olenellid trilobtes.
Add a new Class of fossil animal not often offered to your fossil collection.
