Plesiocidaris

Plesiocidaris
Temporal range: Late Jurassic
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Echinoidea
Order: Hemicidaroida
Genus: Plesiocidaris
Species: P. durandi
Binomial name
Plesiocidaris durandi

Plesiocidaris durandi is an extinct species of sea urchin. Including its spines, the creature was 13 cm (5 in) wide. Its remains have been found in DrĂ¢ el-Ahmar, near the Atlas Mountains in Oran, Algeria. A Commander Durand found the fossils there in 1870 and sent them to French paleontologists. The exact location of the find was not noted and has not been rediscovered since. The species name, durandi, refers to Commander Durand. Most Plesiocidaris fossils still have the spines attached, indicating they lived in calm water; the spines of dead sea urchins are easily detached by wave currents.

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