How to recognise them

Look like a small thin serrated breadknife, but can be straight, curved or spiral.

Fossil Info

Graptolites are invertebrate marine animals that lived in colonies with striking shapes from the Cambrian to Carboniferous Periods (around 540 - 300 million years ago). The individual animals or zooids had tiny feathery arms to filter food particles from the surrounding seawater and were connected by tubes. The colonies had a wide range of shapes - straight, curved, and even spiral, and all had one margin with a distinctive toothed appearance. 

Fun Fact

Graptolites spun in the water like sycamore seeds to gather food.