A newly published scientific paper is revealing insights into a rare fossil from the Silurian Period (the third period of the Paleozoic Era), estimated to be around 420 million years old. Part of the New York State Museum’s collection, this specimen of Naraoia bertiensis is one of only two known fossils of its kind ever discovered from this era.
The paper, titled “Novel evidence for the youngest Naraoia and a reassessment of naraoiid paleobiogeography,” was co-authored by New York State Paleontologist Dr. Lisa Amati, alongside lead author Dr. Russell Bicknell of the American Museum of Natural History, Ph.D. candidate Aaron Goodman, and Czech paleontologist Dr. Lukas Laibl.
Naraoia were small, soft-bodied arthropods that lived on the sea floor. When this creature roamed the Earth, present-day New York was located south of the equator and partially submerged under a shallow tropical sea.
Due to their soft, flexible exoskeletons, Naraoia fossils could only form under exceptional preservation conditions, making discoveries like this exceedingly rare. The specimen in the Museum’s collection was found on private property near Herkimer, NY, though the exact date of its discovery is unknown.
The research suggests that Naraoia species, once widespread in tropical and open marine environments during the Cambrian Period, saw a notable decline in population in the periods that followed. This fossil provides important new data about the species’ geographic range and environmental conditions during the Silurian.
Dr. Amati said, “This fossil is extraordinarily rare — studies show that only about 20% of organisms in an ecosystem are typically preserved under normal conditions. Research on specimens like this is vital not only to understanding New York’s natural history, but also the broader evolution of ecosystems over hundreds of millions of years.”
The paper, which was published in April 2025, can be found on Fossil Record’s website.
Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum in the United States. Home to leading scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections represent the State’s rich cultural and natural heritage from the past and present, including a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 1.1 billion years ago to today.
Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website.
Illustrations, from above: reconstruction of a close relative Naraoia compacta (courtesy Wikipedia user
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