Biology Forum Zoology Discussion what is this?

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    • #13649
      Kristijan
      Participant

      Hello

      Yesterday I found this small, round, black, rock-like things on the beach. When I found the first one I thought it was some kind of stone (round and smooth – shaped by waves) but then I noticed it had tiny white dots all over it. Soon I discovered more of this things and they were all the same – round and black with many white dots. Only their size was different.
      This one is ~10 millimeters in diameter,

      and this one is ~8 millimeters in diameter

      What makes me think it’s some kind of living creature is this one:

      It is only 5 millimeters in diameter and has light brown/pink color so it could be a "baby".

      Does anyone have a clue what this might be?

      Thank you

      Kristijan

    • #100870
      biohazard
      Participant

      At the moment I have no idea what those things might be (seeds? some crustaceans in their shells?), but could you be so brutal as to smash one and see what is inside? 🙂

    • #100872
      Kristijan
      Participant

      Hi
      I crashed one of them as you suggested. It was unbelievably hard. First I tried to break it with a stone but the stone cracked after a few hits so I had to use a hammer. Inside it looks the same as it looks from the outside (like black stone with little white dots) so it is definitely not alive (anymore). But because of their shape ( (almost) perfect circle when you see it from above and (almost) perfect elipse when you look at it from the sides) I am absolutely positive that they once were a living organisms. Now, after seeing what’s inside, I would say that it must be some kind of fossil but I can’t figure out anything else.

    • #100873
      JackBean
      Participant

      What if it was stone shaped by water in the ocean or taken by some animal into gut?

    • #100874
      Kristijan
      Participant
      quote JackBean:

      What if it was stone shaped by water in the ocean or taken by some animal into gut?

      I really don’t think it’s a stone. There are no stones that look like that on the beach and I’ve never seen anything similar anywhere else. Today I found more of them and now I have over 40 samples and they all look exactly the same (same shape, same color, they only differ in size which is 6-10 millimeters in diameter).

    • #100875
      Kristijan
      Participant

      I examined the shattered sample once again more carefully and discovered something I haven’t noticed before. It has a white/light gray "core" in the center and it’s stratified so it looks like it has growth rings like the ones on the trees. It’s clearly a sign that it was once alive and growing.
      Unfortunately, I can’t make a good photo of it right now but as soon as I get my hand on better equipment I will post it.

    • #101030
      vk4vfx
      Participant

      Maybe immature coral polyps that have been polished up by the natural action of the waves? dunno but very interesting.

      Stu

    • #101571
      Kristijan
      Participant

      No one knows?

    • #101576
      Julie5
      Participant

      How intriguing! Not sure what part of the world you are in, but if they are very small you could probably post them to some reputable natural history museum (hopefully they’re not a bio-hazard)

      Do post if you find out what they are.

      (Maybe they are cetacean works of art??)(well, you never know how clever those dolphins are!)

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