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Paleozoic Fossil Gallery - Bryozoa (Moss Animals)
Cnidaria, Anthozoa
(Phylum, Class)
Red text = needs information
Fossil identification by Jo Cox unless otherwise noted
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Corals are soft bodied animals that have lived in tropical shallow seas for hundreds of millions of years. Individuals have a tube body and tentacles surrounding a mouth. Each animal secretes a cup-shaped structure around themselves. Its shape is always centrally radiating and partitioned. The tubes can be a variety of geometric shapes; circles and polygons with radiating walls are very common. Horn corals are single animals. Lophophyllidium and Caninia were very common in the Pennsylvanian Period of Texas. A young animal cemented itself to an object, growing wider as it grew skyward. Its weight eventually toppled the structure. Continued growth produced a bend, like a horn, and gave the coral its name. Syringopora grew as individuals not a true colony coral. They built their tubes close and joined together with small connecting tubes. Montastrea are small individuals joined together in a mass called Colonial Coral. These colonies become boulders. Conularia are related to corals and jellyfish. The animal probably had multiple tentacles that could be retracted into their pyramidal shells. Four triangular hinged lids at the larger end could close to escape from danger. |
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Paleozoic
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?, ?
(Subclass, Order)
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? Period: Pennsylvania Location: north of Cisco, Texas Collection: Jo Cox Size: ? mm long |
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Rugosa, Stauriida
(Subclass, Order)
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Caninia torquia Period: Pennsylvania Location: near Brownwood, Texas Collection: Jo Cox |
Size: ? mm wide Size: ? mm wide second picture's specimens were polished by Jo Cox |
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Lophophyllidium proliferum Period: Pennsylvania Location: north of Cisco, Texas Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 35 mm long |
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Lophophyllidium radicosum Period: Pennsylvania Location: north of Cisco, Texas Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 24 mm long |
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Favistina (Favistella) stellata Period: Ordovician Location: ? Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 41 mm long |
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Hexagonariaanna Period: Devonian Location: ? Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 74 mm long |
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Collection: This is the same genus as the Petoskey stones of Michigan. It looks similar to Montastrea but has hexagonal wells. |
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Tabulata, Auloporida
(Subclass, Order)
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Syringopora sp. Period: Permian Location: Taylor Co., Texas Collection: Jo Cox Size: 33 mm long |
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Syringopora sp. Period: Permian Location: ? Collection: Hardin-Simmons University |
#1
#2
2 specimens |
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Cretaceous
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Scleractinia, Caryophylliida
(Subclass, Order)
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Parasmilia sp. Period: lower Cretaceous Location: Taylor Co., Texas Collection: Judie Ostlien Identified by: Judie Ostlien |
#1
#2
2 specimens |
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Scleractinia, Faviida
(Subclass, Order)
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Septastrea sp. Period: Miocene to Pliocene Location: Taylor Co., Texas Collection: Judie Ostlien Identified by: Judie Ostlien Size: ? mm long |
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Montastrea roemeriana Period: lower Cretaceous Location: Taylor Co., Texas Collection: Jo Cox Collector: Lorene Ohlhausen Size: 178 mm wide x 83 mm tall |
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Montastrea travisensis Period: lower Cretaceous Location: ? Collection: Hardin-Simmons University Size: 30 x 40 mm wide x 75 mm long |
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