Saturday, January 17, 2009

Conularia

Here is an ancient sea creature I am trying to draw. It is called a Conularia and existed in the Mississippian Period. It is not known what it actually looked like some thought it might be some sort of jellyfish that floated around. Specimens have been found where the tip or apex had a stem on it. So it might have been like a crinoid with tentacles.

Check out this link at Harvard for more information about this creature.

The Louisville Fossils site also has an entry.




These creatures can might also be referred to as Paraconularia. You can find some more images of the Conularia on the KYANA Geological Society website:

http://www.kyanageo.org/Fossils/mississippian/other/Conularid_Coral_Ridge1.jpg

http://www.kyanageo.org/Fossils/mississippian/other/Conularid_in_nodule_Coral_Ridge.jpg

http://www.kyanageo.org/Fossils/mississippian/Corals/conularia.jpg

This link shows a nice specimen from Missouri.