4 Oct, 2024 @ 10:53
1 min read

Incredible starfish fossil dating back 55 million years is discovered in Spain

A STARFISH fossil dating back 55 million years has been discovered in the Spanish pyrenees. 

The Parque Nacional de Ordesa and Monte Perdido have been filled with excitement after a worker spotted a rare starfish fossil. 

Dating back 55 million years, the exceptional find was located on an Eocene period rock in the park’s Añisclo valley. 

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Starfish fossils are incredibly rare due to the fragile nature of their exoskeletons, yet this exemplar fossil is almost perfect. 

It was spotted by park ranger Carlos Serrano, who noticed a strange shape on a rock next to a water trough. 

After realising what he had found, he took the rock to the visitor centre for further inspection. 

Park managers then got in touch with the University of Zaragoza’s Natural History museum.

They then contacted Spain’s Cultural Heritage department who sent a specialist in invertebrate fossils to confirm the find, saying the starfish belonged to the goniasteroid group.

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The fossil was located on a slab of rock detached from a high altitude water trough. 

It is thought the rocks used to construct the trough came from ancient glacial deposits formed by marine rocks. 

In the Eocene period, the now mountainous area was under the sea. 

However, it is just one of the amazing finds in the area such as the Ordesa-Vio crocodile. 

The Pyrenees are known for their geology, with the Sobrabe-Pirineos Geopark conducting various paleontology studies.

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Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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