Vermicularia recta - fossilised tube worm cluster

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:27 pm

Hi folks,

This curiously shaped tube worm cluster comes from the Tamiami Formation, Pinecrest Member, Piacenzian Stage, Sarasota, Florida. This neatly dates the cluster to 3.6 million years ago.

Minolta A2, stack of ~12 frames.

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:48 pm

Astounding detail in these Bruce. You know a days tour through your home would, more than likely, be akin to a wonderous day at the Museum of Natural History, you have such amazing subjects.

Excellent work on this post Bruce, thanks

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:06 pm

These are beautiful, Bruce!

The only problem is that I feel like I just played "Where's Waldo" and came uncomfortably close to losing.

The two gray cones centered in that last picture...

Are those the same two gray cones that appear at the upper right of the second pic, just underneath the scale bar?

And are those tube worms also? They remind me a lot of some kind of barnacles.

Curious minds want to know... (particularly noting that "curious" has several definitions...)

--Rik

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:31 pm

Ken - Thanks for your kind comments - and yes I've I've got a pretty sizeable collection of all sorts of curios that have caught my interest over the years. Many are getting a second lease of life as I use them as subjects for close-up photography.

Thanks for your comments Rik. Yes I'm pretty sure that the "grey cones" are fossil barnacles and I guess I should have made that clear in the text. In fact I have also found several small bivalves tucked into the underside of the cluster. I'd assumed that they are all more or less contemporary with the tube worm - although of course they could have attached themselves to the fossilised cluster at a much later date.

[Edit] On reflection, as the tube worm cluster is being dated from the location/strata it was found in, I guess it stands to reason that anything found living on the cluster must be contemporary with it (in terms of geological time scale anyway).

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:32 pm

Now you have me wondering about those in the last image. Is it not enough to contemplate an open end stream of knowledge existing between parallel universes

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:40 pm

...I also wondered if the tick-like gouge marks on the side of the tube-worm to the immediate left of the barnacles might have been made by a barnacle?

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:15 am

Very nice, Bruce.

The barnacles looks very fresh like those collected on the underwater surface of my old boat.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:55 am

A beautiful specimen Bruce. The live ones I used to have in my Reef aquarium used to be the most fascinating animals in the tank. I would venture to say you are right about the tick-marks next to the other barnicales.

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:26 pm

Thanks Nikola. Yes odd creatures barnacles - I don't know how far back they go as a lifeform. A lot further back than these two in my photos - they lived and died a mere

3.6 million years ago.

Sounds like the hull of your old boat could be the subject of a few macro/close-ups

.

Thanks Doug. I've not kept marines (yet) and although I've done a fair bit of snorkelling and scuba, to be honest I didn't pay them (barnacles) much attention. I will though, first chance I get.

Bruce