Natural History, including Gorgosaurus
Natural History, including Gorgosaurus
Fossilized Sponge
No reserve
Auction Closed
July 28, 03:27 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Fossilized Sponge
Late Devonian (approx. 380 million years ago)
Steuben County, New York
35¾ by 27½ by 6¾ inches (90.8 x 69.9 x 17.1 cm). 75 pounds (34 kg).
The specimen is virtually complete, resting on its matrix base. The ribbed surface extends the length of the cylindrical, tapered body, with its natural gray hues characteristic of most Paleozoic Era fossils.
This rare Devonian sponge is among the earliest animals to inhabit what is now New York state.
Sponges are members of the phylum Porifera, a name meaning "pore bearer". These sessile, aquatic filter feeders anchor themselves to a fixed surface for the duration of their lives. They lack nervous, digestive, or circulatory systems, and thus require the flow of water to provide oxygenation and sustenance.
Fossilized sponges are amongst the oldest multicellular life forms in the geologic record, with the unusually large and well–preserved specimen offered here potentially representing a species heretofore unknown to science.
PROVENANCE: Property of an Important European Collection