Overview
- Researchers published an open‑access paper in Royal Society Open Science on Tuesday describing lightly pyritized tube feet in the crinoid Dendrocrinus simcoensis, making it the oldest and only the second known crinoid fossil with preserved soft tissue.
- The preserved tube feet are interpreted as feeding structures, and their size and arrangement let scientists infer how this species captured plankton and occupied a distinct ecological niche compared with modern crinoids.
- Microscopic and compositional analysis shows the soft parts are slightly raised and lightly coated in pyrite while the skeleton is preserved as calcite, a preservation pathway consistent with rapid burial in low‑oxygen sediment.
- The specimen was identified during a specialist visit to Montréal’s Musée de paléontologie et de l’évolution, highlighting how overlooked items in smaller, community‑supported museum collections can yield major discoveries when re‑examined.
- Beyond the immediate find, the discovery sharpens how paleontologists reconstruct early reef ecosystems and underscores that exceptional preservation, rare mineral replacement like pyritization, and museum curation together can change understanding of ancient life.