Cyrtospirifer rudkinensis

(Palaeozoic, Devonian)

Rudkino, Voronezhaya Oblast', Russia

Brachiopods have a very long history of life on Earth and can be dated all the way back to 550 million years ago. They first appear as fossils in rocks of earliest Cambrian age and some of their descendants even still survive in today’s oceans and seas. They were particularly abundant during Palaeozoic times (248–545 million years ago) and are often the most common fossils in rocks of that age. But what is a Brachiopod? 

Brachiopods are marine animals belonging to their own phylum of the animal kingdom, Brachiopoda. The living descendants of these fossil brachiopods occupy a variety of seabed habitats ranging from the tropics to the cold waters of the Arctic and, especially, the Antarctic. It’s rare that we get to say that something other than snow and ice are abundant in Antarctica which makes these shells even more interesting. Speaking of being interesting, Brachiopods tell us a lot about our earth's ancient past. So much so that they have been dubbed the geologist’s tool. Here’s why: 

Brachiopods are characteristic of shallow-marine environments and, in some Palaeozoic rocks, they are the main rock-forming component. Brachiopods are also particularly suitable for palaeoecological analyses. Influenced by such factors as water depth, salinity, oxygen levels and static lifestyle, the distribution patterns of fossil brachiopods provide a useful tool in deducing the position of ancient shorelines and the past distribution of land and sea. Because of the rapid evolution of some brachiopod lineages, they can be useful for understanding the relative ages of rock successions and for correlation. 

We’re in love with the inconspicuous fossil shells because of the secrets that are contained within. It’s not everyday that a fossil comes along with so much information regarding the prehistoric world baked into its very being.

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