Brachiopod - Pocket Fossil

Brachiopods are an incredibly diverse group of shelled animals that first appeared in the fossil record during the Cambrian Explosion. Across 12,000 fossil species and 350 living species, these persistent creatures are still going strong 500 million years later. This specimen is a fossil brachiopod shell from the Stegerhynchus genus. It is dated to the Middle Silurian Period, 424 million years ago, and was found in the Waldron Shale Formation of Shelby County, Indiana.