Sponge?
As always with fossils, I stress that we are very much amateurs on the subject and welcome alternative identification suggestions .
Found by Kim on Charmouth beach, we had no clue as to what this was. So, as you do, we asked a man who clearly knew a lot more than we did. We can only take his word but straight away he said it is in chert rock so therefore from the Cretaceous period, approximately 145 to 66 million years ago and was a sponge.
Even on large size it is hard to see numerous tiny pits. However, they can be clearly seen through a hand lens. The diameter of the central ring is c10mm / around half and inch. The coin is a British 5p piece.
We think the central 'depression' might be where the water used to flow out through what is known as the osculum.
Sponge?
As always with fossils, I stress that we are very much amateurs on the subject and welcome alternative identification suggestions .
Found by Kim on Charmouth beach, we had no clue as to what this was. So, as you do, we asked a man who clearly knew a lot more than we did. We can only take his word but straight away he said it is in chert rock so therefore from the Cretaceous period, approximately 145 to 66 million years ago and was a sponge.
Even on large size it is hard to see numerous tiny pits. However, they can be clearly seen through a hand lens. The diameter of the central ring is c10mm / around half and inch. The coin is a British 5p piece.
We think the central 'depression' might be where the water used to flow out through what is known as the osculum.