Hallucigenia
Sometimes it's hard to tell what an animal looks like when it's been extinct for over 400 million years. Scientists have studied the thumb-sized worm for more than 50 years now, and have only just discovered which end is the head.
A new model for the creature includes a ring of teeth around its mouth, a simple pair of eyes, and a foregut lined with tiny little teeth. The discovery means that Hallucigenia not only makes sense now — it’s also way scarier than we thought.
Source & further reading:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/24/8838169/hallucigenia-worm-fossil-nature-study-2015
#hallucigenia #worms #biodiversity
Plus up until fairly recently they thought the spines were its legs and the legs were some sort of weird tentacles that stuck off its back to grab prey.
ReplyDeleteNature really does come up with interesting and unusual creatures. So much more to discover
ReplyDeleteSteven J Gould argued that at that point in time, there were a spectacular number of weird and distantly related creatures, exploiting ecological niches, whereas today there are a lot more creatures that are more closely related, hence a lot less variety.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a toothbrush brought to life...
ReplyDeleteA toothbrush for crocodiles
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