Rocksday

Brachiopod

Fossil shells of marine animals that look like clams but are only distantly related.

Brachiopod specimen
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify brachiopod

  • Two shells of different sizes.
  • Each shell is symmetrical down its middle.
  • Ribs or growth lines fanning out.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Cincinnati area, Ohio
  • Kentucky
  • Iowa
  • Morocco

Uses

Fossil collecting and dating rock layers.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

A few brachiopod species still live today, but they ruled the sea floor 400 million years ago.

Think you could spot it from a blurry close-up?

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