Natural History, including Gorgosaurus
Natural History, including Gorgosaurus
Plaque of Pink Urchins
No reserve
Auction Closed
July 28, 03:27 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Plaque of Pink Urchins
Tripneustes parkinsoni, Spatangus sp.
Early Miocene (approx. 18 million years ago)
Lacoste, Luberon, France
18 by 17 inches (45.7 x 43.1 cm). 19¼ inches (48.9 cm) tall on custom base. 45 pounds (20.4 kg).
Approximately 30 light pink and soft gray specimens emerging from their natural limestone matrix.
Tripneustes is a species of continually grazing "collector urchins". Feeding primarily on the sea floor, their diet consists primarily of algae and seagrass. Spatangus, or "heart urchins", graze mainly on subsurface detritus, and exhibit bilateral symmetry in their elongated oval form.
It is unusual to find Spatangus in association with Tripneustes, greatly adding to the value and appeal of the gorgeous fossil plaque offered here.