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Fossils of Cambrian Predator Preserved With Brain Impressions
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers on Wednesday described fossilized remains unearthed in China showing in fine detail the brain structures of a bizarre group of sea creatures that were the top predators more than half a billion years ago. The 520-million-year-old creature, one of the first predators of its day, sported compound eyes, body armor and two spiky claws for grabbing prey. "The animals of the Cambrian are noted for being a collection of oddballs that are sometimes difficult to match up with anything currently living on Earth. But even among these oddities, Anomalocarids stand out (as their name implies). The creatures propelled themselves with a series of oar-like paddles arranged on their flanks, spotted prey with enormous compound eyes, and shoveled them into a disk-like mouth with large arms that resided at the very front of their bodies—although some of them ended up as filter feeders."
Perhaps a few thousand years at most.
Artie Long
Kansas Board of Education
One day we'll know enough to build a machine that from star dust starting conditions can predict critters swimming in the sea. That's the point where we'll be able to rightfully call ourselves gods.
That honestly doesn't sound much different from shrimp, or their relatives.. especially the mantis shrimp. Compound eyes, paddles, and strong front arms.
Hyperbole much?
He tried to kill me with a forklift!
I think I read about these guys in an H. P. Lovecraft novel.
"The animals of the Cambrian are noted for being a collection of oddballs that are sometimes difficult to match up with anything currently living on Earth."
You can say that again, Anomalocaris is a good example. The feeding appendages of this creature were initially identified as a type of lobster, it's body was identified as a species of sponge while the mouth was identified as a jellyfish. It was only later that people finally realized these finds were the components parts of a single critter. It makes one wonder what kind of weird creatures exist on other planets and if we'd even recognize them as life if we saw them.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
Is it only me, or does the color only exist on the high points of the stone? It looks like what you would get if you used chalk or a crayon on rock.
Why would Archer bother?
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
If you're one of the first predators, why would you need body armour? (and no, I didn't RTFA)
...poorly preserved traces of cambrian little animals were found in the predator's stomach!
This funny-looking shellfish was one of Earth's apex predators at the time. How quaint.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
I always loved these crazy looking things. Imagining a 7 ft long shrimp/scorpion/alien creature as a kid was fun.
So from the article, classification was always tricky but now velvetworms may be a distance relative. I'm still holding out hope we'll find one left deep.
kind of like a horseshoe crab + king crab + insect like compound eye.
I can picture it...