Bundenbachia beneckei   CLASS - Asterozoa ORDER - Asteroidea FAMILY - GENUS/SPECIES - Bundenbachia beneckei ROCK UNIT - Bundenbach Slate AGE - Devonian LOCALITY - Bundenbach, Germany You don't often find fossils in slates (a shale that's been metamorphosed by heat and pressure). This specimen (and the specimen of Urastella) is one of those rare exceptions. This animal was buried in a current of flowing water, as you can see by the way it's arms are swept back. The preservation is extraordinary, and you can clearly see the plates that made up it's body. We're looking at the bottom (oral) side of the animal. The groove you see in the arms is real, and can be seen in modern sea stars. It is the amulacral groove, and is the location of the animal's tube feet. The tube feet are used both for moving and for eating. PRI 43700