Another common fossil in this roadcut is the brachiopod. These creatures resemble clams, but the body inside their shell was more like that of a barnicle, and they are considered to be in a phylum all to themselves. Merrill Stainbrook, after whom this preserve was named, laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of Devonian brachiopods. In contrast, each brachiopod shell is always symmetrical, but the two shells of each animal are usually quite different from each other. Coral fossils are also fairly common, including the showy hexigonaria fossils with individual coral cells about a centimeter across, packed in a hexagonal array and built into hemispherical coral colonies that frequently grew to the size of soccer balls.
Briozoan fossils are also fairly common.
These are the skeletons of colonies of animals that superficially resemble corals, but they are usually much smaller and many have open and interestingly structured shapes. Fossil trilobite skeletons are occasionally found, but they are uncommon here. Fish bones and shark teeth are also sometimes found. To visit the exposed slab of rock with glacial scratch marks, climb to the top of the southeast side of the roadcut, following the dirt path that goes up a small gully from the corner of Sugar Bottom Road and F28. When the new Mehaffey Bridge was built, the fill needed for the east approach was excavated from this area.