When you may think of ocean life, you might picture swimming fish and scuttling crustaceans, but sometimes the best survival strategy is to let the food come to you. Brachiopods are an incredibly diverse group of shelled animals that have lived since the Cambrian Period, all while being stationary, sessile animals. To eat, they use a lophophore, an organ that extends out of the shell to filter feed, so they don't have to go on the hunt for a meal!

These brachiopods are from the Stegerhynchus genus, dated to the Middle Silurian Period 424 million years ago. They were found in the Waldron Shale Formation of Shelby County, Indiana.

Each specimen measures between 1-1.5" and ships in a black charm box measuring 1 3/4" x 1 1/8" x 5/8". The specimen also comes with an informational card that serves as statement or authenticity.

Smaller Brachiopods also feature in our Ancient Oceans specimen, a 4-in-1 collection of prehistoric aquatic life. You can see more here!

Brachiopods first appeared in the Cambrian Explosion’s massive radiation of life and still exist today. Also called lamp-shells, these invertebrates are highly diverse but are usually immobile, remaining stationary on the ocean floor. Across 12,000 plus extinct species and about 350 living, the core body plan of the brachiopod remains much the same: a bivalved shell with an inner musculature. They can be distinguished from clams with their lophophore, an appendage that emerges from the shell to filter feed before retracting back inside. This simple but effective body plan has allowed brachiopods to thrive from the Cambrian Explosion to today’s oceans.

Similar to trilobites, brachiopods' tough shell is easily preserved, allowing for a rich fossil record to track their evolution. Brachiopods are divided into three subphylum: Linguliforms, Craniiforms and Rhynchonelliforms, differentiated by variations in their inner anatomy like the shape of their guts, the positioning of their gonads and the presence or lack of muscles along the body wall. The first two groups are called articulate brachiopods and exhibit toothed hinges on their shells, while the inarticulate Rhynchonelliforms have smooth hinges but a stronger inner musculature for controlling their shell.