Exceptional Fossil Starfish Plate from Cozy Dell Formation

This is an exceptional fossil seastar plate from the famous Cozy Dell Formation, not too far inland in Ventura County California. The plate contains two different species Astropecten matilijaensis and Henricia venturana in a rarely found association. These specimens are also unusually well preserved, making it a very exceptional piece. The Henricia (on the left) has 15mm and 20mm of restoration on the two arms on the left, but its still the best preserved henricia I've recovered from this site.

Generally, starfish are relatively uncommon in the fossil record owing to the fragility of the creature’s body. Starfish are already difficult to find at Cozy Dell, and specimens with this state of detailed preservation are indeed rare.