Uncovering Fossilized Wonders from Texas’s Ancient Seabed
October 31, 2024
source: Reddit
Imagine sifting through an old Texas farm field and discovering tiny, strange pieces that look like miniature beads or screws scattered in the soil. They’re perfectly cylindrical, with delicate ridges and circular markings on each end, hinting at something once alive yet completely foreign to our modern landscape. These curious relics are actually segments of a creature that thrived in ancient seas, long before the first dinosaurs walked the earth.
The fossils shown here are segments of crinoids, also known as “sea lilies” or “feather stars.” These fascinating marine animals belong to the Echinoderm phylum, making them relatives of sea stars and sea urchins. Crinoids first appeared over 450 million years ago, thriving in ancient seas during the Paleozoic era, and although their diversity has dwindled, some species still inhabit oceans today.
The cylindrical segments, often mistaken for tiny beads or screws, are actually fossilized pieces of crinoid stems. These stems supported the crinoid’s delicate, feathery arms that filtered food from the water. The segmented nature of crinoid stems allowed flexibility, helping them sway with ocean currents. Each disc-like segment, sometimes called a “columnal,” was stacked to create a stalk anchored to the seafloor or sometimes even free-floating.
Farm fields across Texas and the Midwest often reveal crinoid fossils, as they once lay beneath warm, shallow seas that were ideal for crinoid colonies. Finding crinoid fossils offers a tangible glimpse into prehistoric marine life, revealing how this remarkable creature adapted and thrived long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
