Pleae help ID strange item

[Deborah S.]

I have no idea what this is. My 4 year old says it's an ear. I found it today while walking in a streambed, so it's still a little wet. The first 4 pictures are with flash because it's cloudy today. The last 2 are without flash.

[caldigger]

Wow, your flash sure changes the coloring!

I'll leave this to Mr. Mineral. Hey @ynot

[Deborah S.]

3 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Wow, your flash sure changes the coloring!

I'll leave this to Mr. Mineral. Hey @ynot

Thank you. Yes, that's why I thought I'd better include the non-flash photos too. Cell phone cameras are not ideal.

[Innocentx]

It may be bryozoan. I'm getting this from the small holes I see.

[ynot]

Better focused pictures would help.

From what I can make out I would call this a piece of weathered agate.

[goatinformationist]

I agree with agate composition.

[lissa318]

The circled area looks interesting to me unless it is just from the photo...  Can you take a better pic of this spot?

[JohnBrewer]

‘Mr Mineral’  that’s gonna stick Tony. 

[caldigger]

24 minutes ago, lissa318 said:

The circled area looks interesting to me unless it is just from the photo...  Can you take a better pic of this spot?

Lissa318 where have you been hiding?

Long time no see. 

[Innocentx]

Agree with @lissa318 about the area she circled. I'm not sure if these small shapes(ends) are hexagonal or polygonal or what, but they seem to indicate something?.

 

Might you also try to get focused photo of the area I've circled here:

 

[daves64]

41 minutes ago, lissa318 said:

The circled area looks interesting to me unless it is just from the photo...  Can you take a better pic of this spot?

That's this area in the non flash pics..

[lissa318]

11 minutes ago, daves64 said:

That's this area in the non flash pics..

Yes I saw that but it is not clear enough to make out any detail when I zoom in.  A better picture would help.

[KimTexan]

I could be wrong, but the grayish blue circle looks like a very worn oyster to me. There is a creek I hunt in Texas that has oyster type conglomerates that look a bit like that. Sometimes they are fused to a rock or other oysters. The rock may he what it originally attached to in life.

[Deborah S.]

40 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I could be wrong, but the grayish blue circle looks like a very worn oyster to me. There is a creek I hunt in Texas that has oyster type conglomerates that look a bit like that. Sometimes they are fused to a rock or other oysters. The rock may he what it originally attached to in life.

That's an interesting idea. Could the off-white pinna-shaped part be fossilized, oyster glue-like secretions (not sure of the technical term)?

[Deborah S.]

1 hour ago, lissa318 said:

The circled area looks interesting to me unless it is just from the photo...  Can you take a better pic of this spot?

 

1 hour ago, Innocentx said:

Agree with @lissa318 about the area she circled. I'm not sure if these small shapes(ends) are hexagonal or polygonal or what, but they seem to indicate something?.

 

Might you also try to get focused photo of the area I've circled here:

 

 

Thank you very much for spending so much time trying to help me with this ID! Here's my attempt to get better pictures of those spots without daylight and no flash. If this isn't clear enough, I can try again in sunlight tomorrow. I'm using a cell phone. I have a real camera on my wish list for Christmas

 

 

 

[Bobby Rico]

I hope you don’t mind I lightened you’re photos a zoomed in on one bit. I hope it helps

[Deborah S.]

2 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

I hope you don’t mind I lightened you’re photos a zoomed in on one bit. I hope it helps

Thank you!!!

[Deborah S.]

 

@lissa318 and @Innocentx

 

Here's another attempt on the back. It's better than my previous attempts.

 

 

[lissa318]

Yeah you got something interesting there...  lol The first thing that popped in my head was little tiny crinoid segments but some are actually balls...  Wonder if they are ooliths?  Hopefully someone else on here can help more.  The pictures still aren't great but much better!!!  Thanks for adding them.  

[abyssunder]

I wanted to ask from the beginning if the specimen belongs to a marine or terrestrial environment, but I don't know why I hesitated.

[Innocentx]

1 hour ago, abyssunder said:

I wanted to ask from the beginning if the specimen belongs to a marine or terrestrial environment, but I don't know why I hesitated.

I'm not sure OP has this information but it's an important thing to know!

Not sure but it appears she has either colony of a coral type or small mass of crystals growth.

 

[Deborah S.]

2 hours ago, abyssunder said:

I wanted to ask from the beginning if the specimen belongs to a marine or terrestrial environment, but I don't know why I hesitated.

 

56 minutes ago, Innocentx said:

I'm not sure OP has this information but it's an important thing to know!

 

 

I would guess marine, but this is a difficult question because I don't know for sure. So far, my only fossil positively ID'd on TFF that's not an erratic was the bivalve steinkern I'll assume that the green marl deposits and streambeds I visit are the same as those at Inversand a few miles away. One of the geologists there told me that I had good reason to believe it was the same layer. They find marine crocodiles, deep-sea turtles, shark and croc coprolite, shark teeth, bryozoan, snail, brachiopods, cucullea vulgari, enchodus ferox, monosaurs, and birds, etc. They describe it as an ancient sea floor.

[Deborah S.]

3 hours ago, lissa318 said:

Yeah you got something interesting there...  lol The first thing that popped in my head was little tiny crinoid segments but some are actually balls...  Wonder if they are ooliths?  Hopefully someone else on here can help more.  The pictures still aren't great but much better!!!  Thanks for adding them.  

Thank you for your work to help ID the object Do you think the blue-gray or ecru colored components are of any interest or just the probable ooliths?

[ynot]

4 hours ago, Deborah S. said:

Here's another attempt on the back. It's better than my previous attempts.

Yes it is, thank You.

I can see that it is most likely an agate type rock, but it is sitting on what looks like oolitic limestone.

It could be a sponge, but will need better pictures of all sides and some good close up views of the patterned surfaces.

Does it fizz when vinegar is put on it?

If You can not post better pictures You should take it to a local museum or university.

[abyssunder]

It looks like oolitic chert / agate, to me.