He-uge Fossil Cystoid Animal and Relative to Crinoid

Description

I know, I know. They are crazy. Insane. Bizarre. Foreign. Alien, even. And so hard to find, what with their coming from so few locations and requiring so many grueling hours to prep—those hard hours long after the first thrill of adrenaline has worn off—but which are necessary if you are to pull one of these delicate creatures out of the shale. Their brachioles must have been soft, and certainly their stems were delicate, for you find so few of them intact. Think to the numbers of full, round ovoid heads you have come across like the one preserved here. Not very many, and next to none when you compare them against the numbers of crinoid cups you see. So they are hard to find, especially with such a huge, 3-D head, and difficult to prepare, the matrix is so fractured and hard. But here is a really fine one, incredibly well presented, and on a heavy plate of matrix measuring approximately 8 1/2” x 6 1/8” x 1 1/8” and weighing 4 lbs., 10.8 ounces. But there’s even more to this plate! Flip it over and try not to gasp (!) at the dense brachiopod bed upon which this cystoid rests. It speaks to the fecundity of life in the Silurian period, a mere 420 million years ago! This huge Caryocrinites ornatus (on accompanying bed of brachs) came out of what is now the Rochester Shale, Middleport, NY, and is one of the finest I’ve ever seen. Free US shipping only. At buyer’s request, will insure for shipping.