Description: PaleoBeachPebbles: Ossicles are calcareous "beads" arranged around the edges of the starfish and are sort of like the skeleton of the starfish. They are embedded in the skin and are loosely held together. Usually when the animal dies the fleshy parts decay and the ossicles are left to scatter so you rarely ever find complete fossilized starfish. Most of these look like marginal ossicles so they would be found on the edges of arms. Click here to get more information and see some illustrative photos. The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) has online photos of specimens; you can clearly see the ossicles in these photos.
Age: Eocene Epoch
Location Found: United States, Florida, Spoil Islands, mouth of Withlacoochee River, by Yankeetown, FL, Ocala Limestone