Brachiopods
Modern Day Brachiopods
Modern day brachiopods look similar in appearance to bivalve molluscs. There are ~450 known living species today.
In the Museum Collections
View specimen list here.
Total brachiopod specimens: 2372
Total identified species: ~380
Specimens from Arkansas: 1110
Identified species from Arkansas: ~62
Fossil Records
Brachiopods first appeared in the Cambrian Period (541 – 485.4 million years ago). 12,000+ fossil species have been identified.
Brachiopods (UA Museum), Protoleptostrophia perpiana (Benton County, AR), Clifty Limestone, Devonian (419.2 – 358.9 million YA). Map indicates county where specimen was found.
Brachiopod (UA Museum), Boone Formation (Washington County, AR), Mississippian (358.9 – 323.2 million YA). Map indicates county where specimen was found.
Image Credits:
- Gottrop, Muriel and TaraTaylorDesign. Brachiopoda morphology. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Lofor. Lingula found near Ozamis City, Philippines. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.
- Oberg, Danielle. Arkansas map.
- Oberg, Danielle. U of A Museum paleontological specimens.
