ID Help

[Enchanted]

Hello, newbie here. This is first post. Does this look like a GIANT sea cucumber?  Relative was a geologist and spent time in Italy and Columbia but was born in US, Oklahoma.  But, I do not have any information about where it came from.  There are three (3) of these.  This is the smallest (or I say shortest) at approx.  1ft or 304 mm.  Any information is appreciated!.  

 

Link to pics:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vcq7YWrHpu64DgYL7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ClearLake]

Best to post the actual pictures.  Most folks are not going to bother going to a link.

[Coco]

Hi,

 

I don’t know what it is, but it’s not a sea cucumber. It has a 6-sided structure, while sea cucumbers are rather boudin-shaped and do not fossilize in volume this way.

 

It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen in 40 years of fossil research. It reminds me of a human fabrication, but I don’t know what to do either (sculpture ?).

 

Coco

[DPS Ammonite]

Not a fossil!

 

Some sort of man made clay or concrete extrusions: but why? Looks similar to extruded churros.

 

 

Edited April 9 by DPS Ammonite

[Yoda]

I could be wrong. 

But looks man made to me. 

[westcoast]

Very strange specimen. The only thing that it reminds me of is Prototaxites, but it doesn't look remotely similar enough. Could be a man made clay structure.

[Carl]

This definitely appears to be an artificial, extruded object, possible made of clay or concrete. It doesn't come close to any fossil I know.

[ClearLake]

Looks like someone's artistic interpretation of a cactus made of clay.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Definitely extruded.

[DPS Ammonite]

Did your relative ever come to Arizona?

 

It seems that this is an attempt to create a cactus decoration such as a Saguaro. It looks like each of the six major ribs were extruded thru a separate plate since there are lines between them when viewed down in cross section. The ribs between each major rib may also have been created by a separate plate. I also would not be surprised if each major rib was created separately and then pieced together while still soft. Is that a finger print circled in red?
 

If the technique was economical I should have seen at least one here. They would fit alongside the other ubiquitous and kitschy Kokopellis and howling coyotes.

[SPrice]

I'm thinking they're some kind of one off clay yard art sculptures. As DPS Ammonite describes. The top section appears to have been hand shaped, rounded and smoothed. I see hand/finger prints also. The notches were also cut in, crudely. Then due to clay's elastic and water retention properties, the structure shrank as it dried and cracked. It was already drying when the tops were molded as those cracks show drying and a lack of elasticity. I dabble in primitive Native American style pottery replication and see those similar traits in my attempts as in these red clay pieces.

Fired, broken and roughly repaired.  It then sits on the porch with a potted cactus in it 

 

Pre-firing piece

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by SPrice