University of California Museum of Paleontology UCMP in the field See the world (and its fossils) with UCMP's field notes.
SEARCH | GLOSSARY | SITE MAP
About UCMP People Blog Online Exhibits Public programs Education Collections Research
Online exhibits : Mystery fossil

Mystery fossil #62 is...

the crab Xantho (Lophoxanthus) scaberrimus

Mystery fossil #62, dorsal view
Mystery fossil #62, ventral view
 
The dorsal view of Xantho (top) didn't give you much to work with, but in the ventral view (bottom), the large pincer makes it clear that we're looking at a fossil crab.

Crabs are crustaceans whose fossils first appear in Jurassic rocks, although there are some ambiguous fossils that may push crab origins back to the Carboniferous.

This specimen was collected from the Pliocene Bodjong Formation of western Java, Indonesia. Read more about the Bodjong Formation, or crustaceans in general, here on the UCMP site.
 

Visit the Mystery fossil archives for more mysteries from the past!
 

HOME | SEARCH | GLOSSARY | SITE MAP | FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS

ABOUT | CONTACT | COPYRIGHT | CREDITS | SUBSCRIBE/RSS

Other UCMP websites:
THE PALEONTOLOGY PORTAL | UNDERSTANDING EVOLUTION | UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE