Headlines in paleontology usually center on the oldest or first find of a fossil species. However, determining the youngest or last occurrence of a now-extinct species is just as important.
A youngest occurrence was recently confirmed for an extinct group of echinoderms, the phylum that includes starfish, sand dollars, and brittle stars.
Edrioasteroids are one of a number of bizarre echinoderms that went extinct by the end of the Paleozoic Era for reasons not yet understood. These silver-dollar sized, disc-shaped animals lived attached to shells or other hard surfaces on the sea floor.
This discovery comes as paleontologists focus their energy on looking for these fossils in younger rocks to answer questions about the reason for their demise.
Photo credit: drydredgers.org
For more pictures of edrioasteroids click on today's title.
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