Before the oldest dinosaur, before animals or even plants had expanded onto dry land, ancient relatives of starfish called crinoids, resembling stalked sea flowers, were among the first creatures to flourish in Earth's earliest coral reefs more than 450 million years ago. The study of fossilized crinoids helps scientists understand how these animals evolved and offers rare insight into the origins of complex life.

Before the oldest dinosaur, before animals or even plants had expanded onto dry land, ancient relatives of starfish called crinoids, resembling stalked sea flowers, were among the first creatures to flourish in Earth’s earliest coral reefs more than 450 million years ago. The study of fossilized crinoids helps scientists understand how these animals evolved and offers rare insight into the origins of complex life.

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