Fossil Oyster

Item Description

A beatiful and well-formed fossil oyster Rastellum carinatum from Madagascar. This piece dates back 90-100 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The sharp, well-defined, "ribs" or "ridges" of the species gave it the nickname "denture clam". The ridges sat between (inside) the two shells of the creature and were implemented to stop sand, dirt or other particulates from getting inside and hurting the soft tissue of the animal. Like modern oysters it lived in shallow coastal waters including the intertidal zone (the area between high and low tide) and fed on food particles that it filtered out of the sea water. A very well-preserved specimen for size and detail.