(ORDO NEWS) — In Canada, scientists have discovered an ancient arthropod with an unusual shell and a long body consisting of 110 segments, each of which carried a pair of limbs.
The creature lived on our planet 508 million years ago. Fossils of the animal have been found in the Burgess Shale.
It is worth noting that the Burgess Shale is known for its well-preserved fossils of marine organisms from the Cambrian period, including polychaetes, chelicerae, and radiodonts.
Also there, paleontologists found bivalve arthropods – this is a combined group of Cambrian arthropods, the shell (carapace) of which consists of two valves.
In total, paleontologists studied 11 specimens, the largest of which reached 244.7 millimeters in length. Scientists note that by the standards of Cambrian organisms, this is a real giant. In other words, this is the largest bivalve arthropod known to science.
The find was named Balhuticaris voltae – the generic name is given in honor of Balkhut, a giant fish from Arab mythology. The creature lived both at the bottom and in the water column and fed on small organisms.
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