https://wserv3.esc.cam.ac.uk/p1acollections/items/browse?tags=epifaunal&output=atom <![CDATA[1A Collections]]> 2024-04-09T21:16:11+01:00 Omeka https://wserv3.esc.cam.ac.uk/p1acollections/items/show/131 <![CDATA[<h2><strong>TF0901<br /></strong></h2> <h2>Regular echinoid spine</h2>]]>

Species

Florigemma

Stratigraphic Range

Jurassic

Taxonomy

Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Echinoidea
Order: Cidaroida
Genus: Cidaris

Distinctive Features

'Club' shaped
Thorns

Preservation

Mineral replacement (calcite)
Disarticulated from body shell

Advanced notes

This is a spine from a regular echinoid. You can tell this by the shape and thickness of the spine.
Irregular echinoids live under the sediment in burrows, using their spines for movement, not for protection, and hence the spines are fine and able to be manipulated.
Regular echinoids live epifaunally, and so are a target for predators. These spines are needed to prevent attack of the shell containing the soft parts of the animal, and the 'club' like shape decreases access opportunities for predators. Other regular echinoid spines are long and thin, pointed, offering a more 'offensive defence' than spines such as this one.
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Title

TF0901

Regular echinoid spine

Subject

Location

Coral Rag, Upware, Cambridgeshire

Description

Species

Florigemma

Stratigraphic Range

Jurassic

Taxonomy

Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Echinoidea
Order: Cidaroida
Genus: Cidaris

Distinctive Features

'Club' shaped
Thorns

Preservation

Mineral replacement (calcite)
Disarticulated from body shell

Advanced notes

This is a spine from a regular echinoid. You can tell this by the shape and thickness of the spine.
Irregular echinoids live under the sediment in burrows, using their spines for movement, not for protection, and hence the spines are fine and able to be manipulated.
Regular echinoids live epifaunally, and so are a target for predators. These spines are needed to prevent attack of the shell containing the soft parts of the animal, and the 'club' like shape decreases access opportunities for predators. Other regular echinoid spines are long and thin, pointed, offering a more 'offensive defence' than spines such as this one.
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