University of Oklahoma paleontologists have identified a fossil more than 450 million years old that preserves delicate soft tissue from an ancient marine animal, a find they describe as 'one in a million' and the oldest fossilized soft tissue in crinoids ever documented.
The specimen belongs to Dendrocrinus simcoensis, an extinct crinoid species, and preserves tube feet, small flexible structures found in echinoderms such as starfish, sea urchins and crinoids. It is only the second known example of fossilized soft tissue in crinoids and the oldest such discovery ever documented, according to the researchers.
Crinoids are marine animals related to modern starfish that often resemble underwater flowers, with branching arms extending from a central body. More than 450 million years ago they were among the animals thriving in Earth's earliest coral reefs. Although scientists have found millions of crinoid fossils, nearly all preserve only hard skeletal structures, since soft body parts usually decay before fossilization can occur.
Paleontologists Dr. Lena Cole and Dr. David Wright, both assistant curators of invertebrate paleontology at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, identified the fossil, which had been housed for years at Montréal's Musée de paléontologie et de l'évolution, a small museum supported by community donations. Cole said soft tissues are preserved only when the environment acts "almost like a natural refrigerator or vacuum-sealer," calling the preservation "truly one in a million."
The tube feet play an important role in feeding and in how the animals interact with ocean currents. Wright compared them to teeth in mammals, saying differences in their structure "tell us about what kinds of environments a species lived in and how it fed." Comparisons with living crinoids showed notable anatomical differences, suggesting feeding structures have undergone substantial evolutionary changes over hundreds of millions of years. Wright noted the soft tissues are "more than 200 million years older than the oldest dinosaur."
Wright said fossilized remains of long-extinct species can show features “well outside the range of variation we see in living species,” helping researchers understand how patterns of adaptive evolution have changed through time. He and Cole also credited the museum where the fossil was kept, with Cole saying the discovery “highlights the importance of museum collections and the community support that keeps them alive.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The find offers direct evidence of soft anatomy from nearly half a billion years ago, filling a gap left by fossils that preserve only hard parts.
- Tube feet are used for feeding, so the specimen provides clues to how early crinoids lived, fed and adapted, and how marine ecosystems evolved in the early Paleozoic.
- It shows that museum collections can hold major discoveries: the fossil sat unrecognized for years until specialists examined it.
Background
Crinoids are marine animals related to starfish and sea urchins, with branching arms that give them a flower-like appearance. Soft tissues such as skin and internal organs usually decay before fossilization, so nearly all crinoid fossils known to science preserve only skeletal structures. This specimen is the second recorded example of fossilized crinoid soft tissue and the oldest.
What to Watch
- Further study of the specimen's tube feet compared with other ancient and living crinoids to trace how feeding strategies changed.
- Whether similar museum specimens, examined with new techniques, yield more soft-tissue fossils.
- Potential expansion of early Paleozoic ecosystem reconstructions as researchers apply these comparisons to other extinct echinoderms.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
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- SupportedThe crinoid fossil is more than 450 million years old and preserves soft tissue from an ancient marine animal.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “A fossil dating back more than 450 million years has revealed something scientists almost never find: delicate soft tissues from an animal”
- SupportedThe specimen is the second known example of fossilized soft tissue in crinoids and the oldest such discovery documented.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Its preserved tube feet represent only the second known example of fossilized soft tissue in crinoids and the oldest such discovery ever documented.”
- SupportedCole described the preservation as “truly one in a million.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““Preservation like this is truly one in a million,” Cole added.”
- SupportedThe fossil belongs to Dendrocrinus simcoensis, an extinct crinoid species.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The remarkable specimen belongs to Dendrocrinus simcoensis , an extinct species of crinoid.”
- SupportedThe fossil preserves tube feet, flexible structures found in echinoderms including starfish, sea urchins and crinoids.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Tube feet are small, flexible structures found in echinoderms, a group of marine animals that includes starfish, sea urchins, and crinoids.”
- SupportedCole said soft tissues are preserved only when the environment acts “almost like a natural refrigerator or vacuum-sealer.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Soft tissues are only preserved when the environment acts almost like a natural refrigerator or vacuum‑sealer -- conditions that are incredibly rare.”
- SupportedWright compared tube feet with mammal teeth and said structural differences indicate what environments a species lived in and how it fed.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““Differences in their structure tell us about what kinds of environments a species lived in and how it fed.””
- SupportedWright said the soft tissues are more than 200 million years older than the oldest dinosaur.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““For reference, these soft tissues are more than 200 million years older than the oldest dinosaur.””
- SupportedComparisons with living crinoids revealed anatomical differences suggesting substantial evolutionary change in feeding structures over hundreds of millions of years.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Those comparisons revealed notable anatomical differences, suggesting that the feeding structures of these animals have undergone substantial evolutionary changes over hundreds of millions of years.”
- SupportedThe fossil had been housed for years at Montréal's Musée de paléontologie et de l'évolution, a small museum supported by community donations.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The Dendrocrinus simcoensis fossil had been housed for years at Montréal's Musée de paléontologie et de l'évolution, a small museum that operates entirely with support from community donations.”
- SupportedCole said the discovery “highlights the importance of museum collections and the community support that keeps them alive.”Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: ““This discovery highlights the importance of museum collections and the community support that keeps them alive,” Cole said.”