DETAILS
- Discipline
NH: GEOLOGY: FOSSILS
- Scientific Name
Cyphosoma ornatissimus
- Common Name
Fossil \ Echinoderm \ Echinoid \ Sea Urchin
- Place Collected
England, Kent, Gravesend (place collected)
- Lithostratigraphy
Chalk
- Geologic Age
Cretaceous
- Dimensions
overall: 15 mm x 40 mm x 40 mm
- Description
-
Cyphosoma ornatissima is a fossil echinoid or sea urchin. Its shell was round but flattened at the top and base and in life was covered by large spines. None of the spines are preserved in this example. Each of the main plates that made up its shell has a round central tubercle. These acted like a ball joint onto which one of the sea urchin’s spines fitted and articulated.
This specimen is from the Chalk deposits of England and is of Cretaceous age dating from around 85 million years ago. Cyphosoma is one of many different sea urchins that occur in the Chalk. - ID Number
DB.7595
- Location
Kelvingrove Environment Discovery Centre
- Terms