"Ostenocaris Cypriformis"

Osteno can brag of giving a name to an animal. The Ostenocaris cypriformis is a sea fossil with worldwide fame. It is included in the shellfish family , the cave where it was found is dated 190 million of years ago. It used to filter the muddy ground and eat some other little shellfishes. In the cave of Osteno unlike other caves, the soft parts are saved, thus it’s very though to extract the fossils from the rock and most of them don’t get out uninjured. The only one way to reach the cave is from the lake. It is in an area called Caslè, it’s half way between Osteno and S.Margherita. It was found in 1954 by a collector. He gave the news to the Museum of natural history in Milan. Now the area is accessible only to authorized personnel.

You can find Osteno’s fossils in the following museums:
- Museo Etnografico e Naturalistico Val Sanagra
Villa Camozzi, frazione Codogna 22010 Grandola ed Uniti (CO)
Opening: May through September; second and last Sundays of the month
October through April last Sunday of the month10.00 - 12.30 / 14.00 - 17.00
- Civico Museo dei Fossili dei Monti intelvesi
Scaria frazione di Lanzo d'Intelvi (CO) piazza Carloni
Opening: July- middle September, Monday through Sunday 15.00 - 18.00
For infos: Ufficio Turistico a Lanzo d'Intelvi +39 031840143

Links :
- Fossils of Osteno

The drawing of Ostenocaris Cypriformis is a reconstruction by the Natural History Museum of Milan.