New brittle star species found near whale fossils in Denmark
Researchers identified a new brittle star species gathered around a dead whale carcass at Gram Clay Pit in southern Denmark 9.5 million years ago.
Discovery of rare fossil specimens
Sediment collected during a 2018 excavation yielded tiny skeletal plates beside the lower jaw and vertebrae of a beaked whale. Scientists washed and sieved the material to pick out microfossils under a microscope for closer examination.
Identification of new species
The team named the organism Ophiura huebnerjenseni and suggests it marks the first fossil record of brittle stars linked to a whale fall. This finding adds to a site already known for several whale skeletons and the largest megalodon vertebrae ever discovered.
Publication in scientific journal
Museum staff from Southern Jutland collaborated with colleagues in Luxembourg and Germany to analyze the remains. Their paper appears in Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie – Abhandlungen after identifying the new species.
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