Solnhofen Starfish Fossils

Name: Sinosura kelheimense

Phylum Echinodermata; Class Ophiuroidea; Order Ophiurida; Family Ophiuridae

Geological Time: Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian Stage (150 million years old)

Size: Starfish: 30 – 50 mm across; Matrix: 200 mm x 140 mm

Fossil Site: Solnhofen Limestone, Malm Zeta 3 , Heinheim, Germany

This Solnhofen Limestone plate contains a death assemblage eight Sinosura starfish. Extraordinary detail is preserved when examined with a hand lens. These deposits were formed in a warm salt water lagoon. All kinds of plants and animals were incredibly well preserved, including soft bodied organisms and the world's most famous fossil Archeopteryx, an early bird.

click fossil pictures to enlarge

Sinosura kelheimense
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