The majority of Fossils we have found in the Taroona Area have been brachiopods (like clam shells) and bryozoans (moss , or lacy ‘corals’). There have been turtle fossils found near Dixons Reef in the past but we have not come across any of these as yet.
Brachiopods are defined as a diverse group of marine, mainly sessile, benthic invertebrates characterised by two shells or valves, a ciliated feeding organ known as the lophophore, and a fleshy attachment stalk or pedicle.
Brachiopods have a very long history of life on Earth; at least 550 million years. They first appear as fossils in rocks of earliest Cambrian age and their descendants survive, albeit relatively rarely, in today’s oceans and seas. They were particularly abundant during Palaeozoic times (248–545 million years ago) and are often the most common fossils in rocks of that age.
imprint and moulds of brachiopods (photos TC”)
imprint and moulds of brachiopods (photo TC)
imprint and moulds of brachiopods and Fenestella (photo TC)
Bryozoans are a colonies of small animals which join together to create a larger structure. They were very common in Permian seas and had a variety of shapes including fans, branches and discs. Bryozoans and brachiopods were important reef-forming organisms in the Permian and their fossils are abundant in Tasmanian rocks. It is still possible to find living Bryozoans, including in the waters around Tasmania but they are no longer as common as they were 280 million years ago. https://www.fionalevings.com.au/bryozoans.html
Bryozoans are colonial animals that inhabit marine benthic ecosystems and freshwater rivers, characterized by their calcified skeletons and diverse life cycles. They are suspension filter feeders and are represented by a significant number of fossil species, with high diversity noted particularly on the Antarctic shelf.
imprint of Fenestella sp. (photo TC)
imprint of Fenestella sp. (photo TC)
imprint of Fenestella sp. (photo TC)
imprint of Fenestella sp. (photo TC)
photo PM
photo TC