Ordovician Sponge


Possible explanation of this fossil: The red outlines what looks like a root (? Holdfast, anchor ?, does anyone know how sponges anchor to the bottom?). The orange outlines a stem, and the yellow outlines the "flower". Perhaps there are two separate organisms here, or just the yellow is a sponge and the other something else.

The rock is limestone, it used to be limey mud. With all the other broken bits of echinoderms and shells, it was probably deposited at or near normal wave base and above storm wave base. If it is all one organism, it looks like a storm ripped it off the bottom and it was buried in the mud protecting it until it lithified.:twocents:
 

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:notworth:Thanks Kevin! i was wondering if the(?holdfast) was part of the fossil or not. I may be out that way in a few days and if I can find it again I'll try to get a few better pictures.
 
The sponges that I have growning in my aquarium :biggrin2: seem to attach in two different ways. The flatish ones that grow from within the rocks (and don't show up for a couple of years after the rock is in the aquarium) creep along the rock surface and stay low to the rock, smothering anything that might be growing there. I have another of this unplanted kind that grows out in a string but can't see the attachement. The more decorative ones I have purposely transplanted grow a new base downward (vs the ones in the rock that grow upward) that creeps onto/into the live rock rock but retains the main buldge in a blob. There is nothing I see in any of the ones I have had that resembles a separate holdfast or stem.
 
I've been googling all evening, and there are some papers on these sponges, but I only have access to the abstracts, and they don't tell me what I want to know. Now I'm really curious, it seems to me that when I found it, it appeared to be all one fossil. So I really hope I can find it, I have it narrowed down to about a 100 sq. ft. area:fingerscrossed:
 
I went out last week in search of the sponge, didn't have a lot of time and kept getting sidetracked by nautiloids! I know it's there somwhere.....
 
I hate to necromance a thread, but I thought that I would add a few Ordovician sponges for future reference.
Some chaetids: All are from the Milllersburg Member of the Lexington Limestone.
Solenopora




The former cnindarian??? Tetradium.


A stromotoporoid
 

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Nice specimens, thanks for adding to the thread Solius, my sponge was a little lonely :heee:. I've gone back to this location several times in the hopes of getting more pics. of this sponge but I'm afraid it's been crushed by the owners and their tractors!
 
In my very humble opinion, I don't think so. In the link you reference (by the way awesome links Solius) there's another specimen on plate three Paleontology of Kentucky, by W.R. Jillson, 1931: Chapter Two, Ordovician Fauna and a description here http://www1.newark.ohio-state.edu/Professional/OSU/Faculty/jstjohn/Cool Fossils/Brachiospongia.htm On my sponge the nodes(?) are cone shaped and there are well over 12 of them, from what you can see in the pic. I suspect if the fossil wasn't broken it would have been cone shaped and appears to spiral, which is why in the begining I thought it was a gastropod. Still leaning towards Archaeoscyphia but I'm sure I could be wrong, any other suggestions appreciated! :smile:
 

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