Unusual Four Armed Starfish Fossil

Asteroidea indet.

Phylum Echinodermata

Geological Time: Upper Ordovician

Size: Starfish fossil has 55 mm armspan on a 150 mm by 100 mm matrix

Fossil Site: El Kaid Errami Valley, Tafilalt, Morocco

Code: 18151

Price: $195.00


Four Armed Starfish FossilDescription: This plate displays an unusual starfish found in the Ordovician deposits of El Kaid Errami. Intact starfish specimens are quite uncommon in the fossil record. ThisEchinodermata Asteroidea specimen is a member of the Asteroidea, or True Starfish. Unlike the brittlestars, true starfish have no demarcation between the arms and the ventral body, and move by means of tube feet rather than by the sinuous movements of the arms. The starfish is unusual in that it has only 4 arms rather than the usual 5. When I first saw the as found filed photos I thought it was atypical armed example with the fifth arm obscured by matrix. After the matrix was removed from that area it could be seen that indeed it only had 4 arms. While that seems unusual I was able to find several examples of extant starfish that also showed four arms. To date this is the only fossil example I have come across.

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