Fossil Extends Life Span of a Marine Predator

[n2doc]

By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Published: May 25, 2011

The largest animal species of the Cambrian period, a marine predator with a long, segmented body and a pair of grasping appendages, lived much longer than previously thought and grew to sizes much larger than previously known.

The animals, known as anomalocaridids, were thought to have gone extinct after the Cambrian period, 540 million to 500 million years ago. Now a newly discovered specimen indicates that they actually lived another 30 million years, into the Early Ordovician period.

The new specimen measures more than three feet in length; the biggest specimen previously known was about two feet long.

Derek Briggs, a paleontologist at Yale, and Peter Van Roy, a paleontologist at Ghent University in Belgium, discovered the specimen in southeastern Morocco and describe their findings in the current issue of the journal Nature.

more
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31obfossil.html

[tabasco]

1. Gnarly mothers.

I suppose there will be a sci-fi original movie coming up.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Some animation here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoL_142abXU

I suggest you turn the sound off completely. Pointless techno muzak.

Or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OTutRYXVrY&NR=1#t=3m22s

Walking With Monsters - with Kenneth Brannagh commentary.