Fossil is ‘missing link’ between modern starfish and their ancestors – study A fossil of the earliest starfish-like animal, called Cantabrigiaster fezouataensis, was discovered in Morocco (Yale University/PA) A 480-million-year-old fossil found in Morocco is a “missing link” between modern-day starfish and their ancestors, a scientist has said. The fossil, discovered in the Anti-Atlas mountain range, captures the early evolutionary steps of the animal at a time in Earth’s history when life suddenly expanded, a period known as the Ordovician Biodiversification Event. The fossil species has an intricate design, with feathery arms akin to a lacework. The origin of starfish has eluded scientists for decades but the new species is so well preserved that its body can finally be mapped in detail and its evolution understood, according to researchers.