Scientists were able to find the fossils of a bizarre alien-like sea creature.
The fossils from over 500 million years ago were found alongside 10,000 other fossils in 1983. However, the bizarre sea creature stayed unidentified until now.
Ancient Sea Creatures
The fossils were discovered in Tulip Beds within Yoho National Park.
The evolution of such sea creatures across millennia still remains a mystery to researchers. However, they think that with the increase in oxygen on the surface of the planet, these creatures could have been forced to evolve for survival.
So far, researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum have been able to identify 50 novel species since the discovery of the graveyard of sea creatures. One of the discoveries had a tulip shape, which is why the site was given its name in 2012.
Bizarre Alien-Like Sea Creature Identified
Now, over 40 years after the initial discovery, the researchers have reported that the bizarre alien-like sea creature, dubbed lobopodian (entothyreos synnaustrus), had 11 unique appendages, or lobopods.
The creature belongs to an animal group that is known to have stubby and short legs as well as long bodies. It also appeared to have outwardly protruding spikes from its back.
The lobopodian is roughly two inches in length. Oddly, it also had feather-like appendages that grew from its body's front.
Its description was noted in the "Deep origin of articulation strategies in panarthropods: evidence from a new luolishaniid lobopodian (Panarthropoda) from the Tulip Beds, Burgess Shale" study.
According to the study, half of the lobopods of the creatures were quite slender and long. The remaining reportedly had a cone-shaped and stouter form.
There were some short spines that covered their long appendages. Moreover, these also had two rows of claw-like, chevron-shaped, curved, and very long spines.
The researchers said tha that the creature's back limbs could have served protective purposes. Its lengthy appendages could have also worked to erect the body of the lobopodian.
It may have also offered suspension feeding, which happens when animals get and ingest particles of food that are water-suspended.
Fossils of the creature showed that various body sections were meant to perform various functions, like arthropods.
It is possible that the creature evolved during the Cambrian explosion that happened around 530 million years ago in the Paleozoic era. This period saw increased habitable space within the seafloor, lasting for 13 to 25 years. This enabled the thriving of sea animals and the rise of animal diversity.
During the Cambrian Explosion's era, there were some animals that evolved to come up with their own exoskeleton. Such a process is called sclerotization.
Some sea creatures became similar to the arthropods of today, changing from being flexible and soft creatures. As for the lobopodian, it has hardened and soft body parts that could be due to outer layer shedding. The species could also possibly represent the start of hard outer shell evolution.
While the evolutionary change still remains unclear, the bizarre alien-like sea creature could help shed light on the matter.
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