This is quite possibly the paleontological find of the century in Santa Cruz, literally! An extinct deep sea brittle star, named over 120 years ago in honor of Santa Cruz; Amphiura sanctaecrucis, found high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains! With gratitude out today to forthcoming coauthors Charles L Powell, John Barron, Sabine Stöhr, and others.
#FossilFriday, #Paleontologist, #paleontology, #pacificpaleontology, @pacificpaleontology, #beachfossils, #SantaCruz, #santacruzcounty, #fossil, #AnoNuevoStatePark, #LosOsos, #SantaCruzMuseumofNaturalHistory,
Sandhills Habitat History Update; another journey back into Deep Time. When I started finding these strange "rocks" as a kid exploring around our ancient ocean Sandhills Habitat here in Santa Cruz, I was curious what they could possibly be, since I suspected they may not in fact be rocks. And they aren't! These are the crushing mouth plate "teeth" of the Sheepshead Wrasse, Semicossyphus sp., which are used to crush clams, crabs, and fish! Interestingly, all sheepshead fish are born female and most mature into males later in life, living up to 21 years of age. They still live in the ocean waters of Monterey Bay today! The next time you find an interesting natural object, it may have a fascinating story to tell you!
And here is an excellent guide to the Sandhills Habitat "Islands" in Santa Cruz County: https://zayantesandhills.com/Zayante%20Sandhills%20Conservation%20Bank%20web/SANDHILLS%20Information.pdf
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HAPPY NATIONAL FOSSIL DAY MONTEREY BAY 2024 FROM PACIFIC PALEONTOLOGY!
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