The Wenlock Reef
This model of the Wenlock reef shows it as it would have looked when it was alive 420 million years ago.
Use your mouse to have a look around and identify the different creatures living on and around the reef. Click to find out more about each type of creature.
Rotate view | Dive to a different part of the reef
- area 1
Crinoids such as this Gissocrinus extend their delicate ‘arms’ into the water to feed.
- area 2
Corals and stromatoporoids form a living floor for the trilobite Sphaerexochus to explore.
- area 3
An orthoceras swims about the crinoid stems hunting for food.
- area 4
A gastropod grazing on fragments of broken crinoids and corals.
- area 5
A trilobite, Illaenus, searching for food amongst reef debris.
- area 6
A cross section through the reef showing the old, dead skeletons of reef builders forming the reef mound.
