cretaceous – Ocean Blues

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

Marine creatures

Explore our fossils to see what animals lived in our seas around 100 million years ago.

Ray-finned fish

Ray-finned fish

Sea stars, lilies and urchins

Middle Chalk, Lewes. These strange animals probably lived in large groups, almost resembling beds of seaweed. Living examples, although confined to the deeper seafloors, are very similar.

Lobsters

Lobsters

Bivalve shells

Bivalve shells

July 15, 2020July 30, 2020

Lobsters

Lobsters swam in our ancient warm Sussex seas around 100-85 million years ago. Lobsters are grouped within the Crustaceans which include crabs, shrimps, prawns and barnacles. They first evolved in the Cambrian period around 509 to 497 million years ago. Click the images to discover more.

Lobster, Palaeastacus dixoni from the Lower Chalk, Clayton, East Sussex. This rare fossil lobster has been preserved in wonderful detail. It is very significant and a first drawing appeared of it in scientific journals in 1850. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up detail of lobster Palaeastacus dixoni Lower Chalk, Clayton, East Sussex, specimen number 007750. Photo by Bob Foreman.jpg

Close up of lobster tail, Palaeastacus dixoni, specimen number 007750. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Lobsters were common inhabitants of the Chalk sea floor 90 million years ago. This claw or chela - must have been quite powerful, specimen number 007757. Photo by Bob Foreman

Close up of lobster claw, specimen number 007757. Photo by Bob Foreman

Close up of lobster claw, specimen number 007757. Photo by Bob Foreman

Chalk Lobster: Enoploclytia leachii (Pincers) Lower Chalk, Clayton, East Sussex, specimen number 007764. Photo Bob Foreman.

July 15, 2020July 27, 2020

Sea stars, lilies and urchins

Middle Chalk, Lewes. These strange animals probably lived in large groups, almost resembling beds of seaweed. Living examples, although confined to the deeper seafloors, are very similar.

Sea stars, sea lilies and sea urchins are all Echinoderms. The name Echinoderm comes from the Greek word meaning ‘spiny skin’. They first appeared in the fossil record in the early Cambrian period around 542-488 million years ago. The fossils in this gallery are between 100 – 85 million years old.

This fossil sea-lily, Isocrinus granosus is from the Middle Chalk in Lewes. It is one of the best specimens known of a Chalk crinoid (or sea-lily). Imagine an upside down starfish perched on a tall stalk for an understanding of these strange creatures. These animals probably lived in large groups, almost resembling beds of seaweed. Living examples are very similar. Specimen number 007942. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up of Sea Lilly, Isocrinus granosusm, specimen number 007942. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up of Sea Lilly, Isocrinus granosusm, specimen number 007942. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up of Sea Lilly, Isocrinus granosusm, specimen number 007942. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Chalk starfish, Metopaster sp., Upper Chalk, Kent. These fossils are difficult to find complete and this rare and beautiful example shows great detail due to the preserving qualities of the original chalky mud. The large number of isolated fragments that often turn up, do however, show that starfish of many types must have been quite common. Specimen number 007823. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up of chalk starfish, Metopaster sp., Upper Cretaceous, specimen number 007823.Photo by Bob Foreman.

Close up of chalk starfish, Metopaster sp., Upper Cretaceous, specimen number 007823.Photo by Bob Foreman.

Sea Urchin (Echinoid), Upper Cretaceous. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Detail of Sea Urchin (Echinoid) fossil, Upper Cretaceous_007896.jpeg

Fossil of Stereocidaris sceptrifera, an ancient species of sea-urchin (or Echinoid). Like many modern types living on the seabed, these sea urchins had spines as protection against hungry fish. Some had long, thin spines, others had short and squat spines. In life this sea urchin would carry stout spines attached to each of the tiny knobs on the plates that make up the shell. Specimen number 008811. Photo by Bob Foreman.

Echinoid, Stereocidaris sceptrifera, specimen number 008811. Photo by Bob Foreman