This 280-million-year-old fossil has such a strange shape that many people, upon first glance, might think it is the fossil of an extraterrestrial being.
A recent image has gone viral on social media, depicting a nearly intact fossil of a marine creature that lived 280 million years ago. Many viewers confidently claim that this is surely a fossil of an alien. But what exactly is this creature?
The fossil of Jimbacrinus shows they were bottom-dwelling animals that once thrived in what is now Western Australia during the Permian period. They grew to a length of about 9 inches.
In fact, the fossil in question belongs to the species Jimbacrinus crinoids, also known as sea lilies, and was discovered in Western Australia. These marine creatures lived around 280 million years ago during the Permian period, and their fossils provide valuable insights into the evolution and diversity of life on Earth.
The fossils of this species first caught public attention through an image that circulated widely on social media. The image showed them arranged in a group, indicating that they had been buried in the sedimentary rock of their natural habitat. The fossils are said to have been found near Gascoyne Junction, a remote area in Western Australia known for its geological diversity.
Jimbacrinus has five arms made up of tentacle-like structures. Like all crinoids, it uses these outstretched arms to feed on small animals and particles in the water. Crinoids have a long history; they were among the first echinoderms to appear in the fossil record and have maintained their original structure throughout their long history. Crinoids were extremely abundant during the Paleozoic era.
When Midwest Times investigated the origin of the image, they discovered it had been posted on the website of a fossil dealer based in the United States. The dealer claimed that the fossil was legally obtained and could be sold to interested buyers. This raises questions about the legal status of fossil collecting and trading in Australia, where laws regarding fossil collection and sale vary widely between states.
David Gear, a representative of the Western Australian Museum, clarified the legal status of fossil collecting in Western Australia. According to Gear, collecting and exporting fossils in certain cases is legal, but collectors must obtain the necessary permits and adhere to guidelines for responsible fossil collecting. Gear also emphasized the importance of leaving fossils in their natural environment whenever possible, as they provide crucial scientific data about the history of life on Earth.
The alien-like fossil species used to be abundant in the shallow seas covering much of Western Australia during the Permian period and was first discovered in 1949 by Jimba Jimba, a cattle station manager, after whom this genus is named. Mr. J Bostock (who named the species) found the fossils of the Jimbacrinus crinoids in the Cundlego formation, a sandstone formation created by flood and storm deposition during the early Permian period, approximately 275 million years ago.
This geological formation is found along a dry creek bed and contains fossil remnants of many species that inhabited the seabed during that era. Interestingly, these fossils are often found completely intact and have not been discovered at any other site.
The fossil site near Gascoyne Junction offers a glimpse into the extinction events of the Permian period, at the end of which occurred the “Great Dying.” This was the largest and most severe of the five mass extinction events known in the geological record, resulting in the disappearance of over 90% of all marine species from our planet at that time. Rising global temperatures led to warmer and more acidic waters, increasing methane and metal concentrations while severely depleting dissolved oxygen levels, making it difficult for marine animals to survive. However, a small percentage of crinoid species survived the extinction event, and to this day, there are still over 600 species of crinoids living on our planet.
They were among the first echinoderms to appear in the fossil record.
Another interesting fact is that the fossils of crinoids inspired the design of the Sentinels in the movie The Matrix. Although the Sentinels initially had limited functions, they eventually evolved into machines that scoured the underground city to search for humans and the Zion ship.
The fossils of the Jimbacrinus crinoids found near Gascoyne Junction are particularly noteworthy because they are some of the most pristine and complete fossil specimens on our planet, which may allow scientists to study their soft tissues and internal structures in greater detail.
