A 'Smiling' Fossil Discovered in Northumberland
A fascinating discovery has been made on Holy Island in Northumberland, where a local resident, Christine, stumbled upon a peculiar fossil while hunting for the famous 'Cuddy's beads'. This annual tradition, shared by Christine and her husband Gerard, involves searching for these unique marine fossils, which are actually the remains of crinoids, an ancient marine animal.
The 'beads' get their name from St. Cuthbert, the patron saint of the North of England, who is believed to have arrived on the island in the 7th century. Over the centuries, people have found these small fossils, mistaking them for a spiritual creation by St. Cuthbert. However, as Dr. Frances McIntosh, collections curator at English Heritage, explains, these 'beads' are actually the ossicles, or small discs, that make up the stem of crinoids.
Crinoids, dating back to the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago, are part of the Echinodermata phylum, which also includes sea urchins and sea cucumbers. The discovery of a complete crinoid is rare, but finding its individual stem components, the 'beads', is more common. These 'beads' often resemble polo mints in shape.
On Boxing Day, Christine's search for the 'beads' led to an unexpected find. Among the pebbles on the beach, she discovered a fossil with a unique, 'mouth-like' shape, which Dr. Jan Hennissen, a senior paleontologist, identified as a crinoid stem. The fossil's unusual curvature and splitting along its length created the 'smiling' appearance, earning it the first set of teeth Christine had ever found.
This discovery highlights the ongoing tradition of fossil hunting on Holy Island and the importance of understanding the ancient marine life that once thrived in the region. The fossil, now identified by the British Geological Survey, adds to the island's rich history and natural heritage, inviting further exploration and appreciation of the area's geological wonders.
