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star fish?
found this fossil thing, looks like a star fish on top of something else, i wonder what it may have been used for maybe a pottery stamp, or just a charm
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Two, That is a specimen of fossilized sea urchin.
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Yes, like Cliff said, a sea urchin, a type of Echinoid. Here's a bit more info from wikipedia:
If you use google image search for fossil sea urchin or fossil echinoid, you will find many examples.
Rhode IslandComment
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sea urchin, thanks still i wonder what they may have used it for, just a charm, i sure would have like to find a pottery shard with that mark on it ts
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Even if they didn't use it for anything, no reason why someone wouldn't pick it up out of curiosity, maybe a charm as you suggest. Fern fossils are common hereabouts. I know someone who found a small, thin, but unshaped slab of shale with a fern dead center and the native had notched it to use as a pendant. I've always wondered how the natives interpreted fossils in general. I know some fern fossils I've found on prehistoric camps were brought there, but show no signs of use, just collected a long time ago. I'd like to see a study of the many types of fossils collected in ancient America and how they were used, or even unused, but found in context on sites. I think crinoid columns were drilled as beads, I think the same was the case with some Utah trilobites if I'm not mistaken, drilled as ornaments. What did they think of dino tracks and bones, etc.. etc? I've collected fossils as long as artifacts so when the two things are combined in one, like a fern fossil pendant, that's as good as it gets for me, even if it's crude. Anyway, ts, your sea urchin might have just been something that caught a native's eye a long time ago.
Rhode IslandComment
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Similar.
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Nice fossil, Mark! Turns out there is at least one book dealing with Native Americans and fossils;
If you google the title in "Google Books" most of the book can be read online, but the url to that link would take me half a day to type.
Rhode IslandComment
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If it hadnt already been discussed I would of guessed a Seabiscuit fossil. They are like a thicker version of a star fish and found in Florida.
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