Dendrocystites sp.- Carpoids And Starfish
Upper Ordovician
Hefalla Sandstone, Katouna Formation
Elkaid Errami, Rissani
Morocco

Huge 480mm x 430mm slab (19 x 17 inches) with dozens of carpoids and two starfish.

Dendrocystites is an extinct genus of carpoids, a strange and primitive group of echinoderms related to starfish and sea urchins. Unlike modern echinoderms, carpoids like Dendrocystites lacked the usual five-part symmetry and often had asymmetrical or stalked bodies.
Dendrocystites lived during the Ordovician period and had a flattened body with branching appendages that may have helped it feed on tiny particles in the water or sediment. Though distantly related to starfish, it looked very different, with a body plan that still puzzles scientists.