Chancelloria sp.
Chancelloria looks uncannily like a sponge. However, the skeleton of a sponge is made out
of spicules, or solid spines made primarily of calcium. The Chancelloria has recently been
found to have a hollow skeleton. Therefore its skeleton is made of sclerites and it cannot
rightfully fit in the phylum porifera and it has instead been given its own phylum. Since
there is no living creature like it, it is hard to fully understand the workings of a
chancelloria. From its structure, it is thought that they operated much like a sponge, though
the possibility still exists that it could move in some manner. The sclerites are all in a
six-ray star shape.
About this specimen
This is a Chancelloria Eros from the Middle Cambria, Marjum formation, Millard County, Utah.
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