Description

Lingula sp.
Mississippian
Bear Gulch Limestone
Fergus County MT USA.

13mm brachiopod on 53mm slab.

Lingula is a genus of brachiopod known from the Late Cambrian and is famous among scientists and collectors because it still lives today – traditionally considered a “living fossil.”  Its fossil shells have been found on every continent including Antarctica.

Brachiopods resemble molluscs but constitute a separate phylum of shelled invertebrates (separate ancestry).  They were quite successful across the Paleozoic but nearly died out during the end-Permian mass extinction event.  They managed to recover to about one-third of their Paleozoic diversity during the Mesozoic but were almost wiped out again during the K/T mass extinction.  Again, they recovered but are not nearly as diverse today as molluscs.

Nice detailed shell of this incredible survivor in matrix.