Discovering the trace of the oldest aquatic animal in the world in Morocco
A British study revealed the existence of the oldest trace of an aquatic animal, the starfish, in the world in Morocco, which dates back 480 million years.
The starfish is considered the “missing link” between modern flowering organisms and all living starfish on planet Earth, according to what was reported by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.
Experts from the British University of Cambridge said, “The fossil that was discovered from within the so-called oil shale in the Anti-Atlas mountain range in Morocco is the oldest trace of the aquatic animal starfish, which dates back to the period of the so-called “Ordovician biodiversity event” when it expanded... life suddenly, According to the agency “Sputnik”, the researchers said that “the previous fossil of the oldest specimen of starfish was 50 million years younger.”
Dr. Aaron Hunter, who led the research and is a professor at the University of Cambridge, explained, “The sample of this fossil, which was found in Morocco, was collected for the first time in the beginning of the year 2000 by Berber farmers who became excavators for fossils in the desert.”
"It's a fossil that has puzzled me for many years, and the turning point came when I was studying live specimens of sea lilies, which are close relatives of starfish, collected from the northern coast of Washington State and placed in the City Museum," Aaron said.
And the same researcher found out, “These fossils are somewhat similar to the Moroccan fossil, to realize at that time that it is the oldest fossil of all animals that resemble starfish.
The team also examined the fossils of starfish from 480 million to 350 million years ago, and found that this fossil was the missing link.
Source: websites