Permian Bryozoans

Other names: moss animals.

Photo 1: Bryozoan fossil eroded from a cliff face.

Bryozoans are colony-forming animals that are still abundant today, mostly in marine environments but also in freshwater environments. In the Buttle Lake limestones, fan-shaped bryozoans like the one pictured in the right are quite common, though not nearly as common as the crinoid ossicles.