Horn Coral Fossil Lophophyllidium spinosum

Lophophyllidium spinosum is a fossil horn coral from the Pennsylvanian Period. That makes it about 300 million years old. It is about 3/4 inch long, cone shaped, covered with spiny bumps. They come from the Finnis shale in Jack Co., Texas. Horn Corals are from the extinct order of corals called Rugosa. Rugose means wrinkled. The outside of these corals have a wrinkled appearance. Horn Coral grows in a long cone shape like a bull’s horn. The fossil is the skeleton of the coral animal or polyp. The animal lived at the top of the cone. They had many tentacles sticking out to gather food. The tentacles gave the horn coral a flower like appearance.