Researchers find rare Dendrocrinus simcoensis fossil with intact soft tissues
Researchers just found a super-rare fossil of Dendrocrinus simcoensis, a sea creature that lived way before dinosaurs, about 450 million years ago.
Discovered tucked away in a Montreal museum, it's only the second crinoid fossil ever found with its soft tissues still intact, giving scientists an up-close look at ancient ocean life.
Fossil preserved by rapid burial
This fossil survived thanks to some seriously unusual conditions: think rapid burial in fine mud that protected even its delicate tube feet.
Lena Cole, who led the study, called out how special this kind of preservation is.
By comparing it with modern crinoids, researchers learned that these ancient creatures probably fed and behaved differently than their living relatives.
The study (published in Royal Society Open Science) also shows just how important museum collections can be for new scientific discoveries.