Fossil Starfish Plaque
Middle Ordovician (approx. 467 million years ago), Erfoud, Morocco
No reserve
Auction Closed
July 17, 03:28 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Fossil Starfish Plaque
Petraster sp.
Middle Ordovician (approx. 467 million years ago)
Erfoud, Morocco
6½ x 5¾ x 1½ inches (16.5 x 14.6 x 3.8 cm), 8½ inches (21.6 cm) tall on stand. Starfish measures 4¾ inches (12.1 cm) in diameter. 2.2 pounds (1 kg).
A well preserved and virtually complete extinct starfish fossil with outstretched limbs. The specimen is nicely prepared in high relief on a matrix pedestal. The specimen comes with removable metal stand.
Starfish thrived throughout the Ordovician, and are one of Earth's most successful species, having survived to the present day. Despite this fact, fossil specimens of this quality and detail are quite rare as starfish readily disintegrate after death. This virtually complete and intact specimen from an extinct species of starfish lived in the Ordovician seas approximately 467 million years ago, in an area that is now on the periphery of the Sahara desert.