Brittle starfish Ophiura, part of the order of Asteroids (Ophiuroides). A positive and negative plate displaying one excellently preserved specimen, the matrix being split open to reveal two mirror images of the same starfish.
Fascinatingly captured in the silts the Brittlestar was laid down in eons ago. Arms articulating in the dance of the starfish, seemingly waving with much moment as though in a dance across the sea bed. The living starfish or extant brittlestar once crawled along the ocean bed in search of its prey, it is theorised some massive underwater event smothered many of these individuals, as in this deposit are found so many well preserved starfish, showing no signs or predation or little decay, only such an event as an underwater disturbance would have covered so many in such a short time.
The genus type of these Brittle starfish Ophira specimens are found in the location of Kataoua Kaid Errami fossil formation, Saharan Morocco. The geological age is Ordovician period around 440 million years ago.