Jurassic Period- C. 150 Million Years Ago

Order to which the fossil belongs: Clypeasteroida
Name of which the belongs: Mepygurus marmonti

This extinct species of  polished echinoid (sand dollar), Mepygurus marmonti comes from Madagascar. A sand dollar if a flattened form of urchin which possess a rigid, globular skeleton that is make up of columns of thin calcite plates, also known as ambulacrals which have small pores for tube feet.

They live in shallow marine environments buried in either sand or mud, just below the low tide line. Regular echinoids that forage on the sea bed, show radial symmetry and but those that burrow in soft sea beds and show bilateral symmetry are irregular echinoids. They feed on crustacean larvae, small copepods diatoms and algae. Fossil sand dollars are easily identified  by the “flower” shape on the skeleton, with its five ovate form on the top side of the skeleton.

Crisp detail and a good example.

Size: 71mm diam