Kirklandia texana
Cretaceous (Albian)
Paw Paw Formation
Blue Mound near Haslet, Tarrant County
Texas, USA

65mm on 150mm slab

Kirklandia is a highly unusual fossil originally described as a jellyfish of some sort. In reality, it turned out to be a strange burrow trace that spiraled upwards like a spring with distinct lobes along the way. Found only in Texas it’s unusually large and the identity of the creature is still unknown. The original discovery site is long played out so there probably won’t be any new finds.

See: Fürsich, F. T., & WJ, K. (1975). KIRKLANDIA TEXANA CASTER-CRETACEOUS HYDROZOAN MEDUSOID OR TRACE FOSSIL CHIMAERA. (PDF opens in new tab)