Fossil Echinoid Scutella Faluns de Touraine, France (EA6520) Miocene

Description

This is a large Intact free form block of matrix with a large well preserved sand dollars.
The matrix is original and the sand dollars were found and exposed exactly as you see them.
The detail of each sand dollar is superb.
The entire front surface is very multi dimensional.
All the fossils on this specimen are in fantastic original preservation.
The species represented here is called
Scutella Faujasii
.
Miocene period
The size of the specimen is :
12.5 by 8.6 by 5.6 cms in size.
The sand dollar itself is 6.7 cms across.
Sand dollars are echinoids and are members of the echinoderm family.
These fossil sand dollars ( amphiope bioculata ) were living creatures that dwelled on the bottom of soft ocean floors from 15 to 19 million years ago.
The tell tale five rayed "flower" pattern on the top of each sand dollar indicates they are from the famed fossil beds of France.
The specimen is from:
Faluns de Touraine, France.