I thought these were fossils!

Found them in Cuba...they were smooth and pink underneath and still seemed very much alive!

Any idea what they are?

They are Chitons

Don't know if chitons are the same thing but I believe they are isopods. They are filter feeders and often attach to fish near the top of the head in the best water flow area to feed as the fish swim. They look like parasites but are only grabbing a ride.

As a kid I used to see these by the hundreds.....prehistoric looking little buggers....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton
http://reefguide.org/pix/thumb2/chiton4.jpg


Isopod, and a scary huge one at that! This is what my childhood nightmares looked like, lol
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ant_isopod.jpg

WOW! Definitely NOT an Isopod! Most definitely a Chiton:)

They do look very prehistoric! So much that I thought they were initially fossils..till I pried one off and realized it was very much alive..then I felt bad, but lesson learned I guess.

Thanks for the identification!

Cheers