Distinctive fossils like this conulariid have been found in 200–205 million-year-old rocks from Southland. The identity of this extinct group of animals is unknown, but many scientists consider that they represent a polyp stage of ancient staurozoan jellyfish. About 5 centimetres high, the fossil has the shape of an elongated pyramid. The alternate rows of markings on the surface are a feature of conulariids.
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Photograph by Hamish Campbell
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