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| Photo Courtesy of nbcnews.com |
Scientists have discovered a 520-million-year-old preserved fossil of an arthropod known as a fuxhianhuiid. This is one of the earliest animal fossils discovered, however it is not the first fuxhianhuiid fossil discovered but it is the best example of this arthropod because it shows the internal organs. This arthropod displays primitive limbs under its head and a nervous system that goes beyond the head, which is the earliest example of a system like that.
These creatures lived during the beginning of the Cambrian explosion, 50 million years before animals had even moved from living in the sea to living on land. Scientists believe that these creatures were ones that would be found along the sea bed and believe they might have been able to swim for short distances. These creatures most likely evolved from worms with legs.
This has been a very important discovery because it may be able to help put together evolutionary history of animals. This has also been helpful because arthropods are often classified based on their head appendages and this fossil shows the earliest examples of that. "These fossils are our best window to see the most primitive state of animals as we know them – including us," Ortega-Hernández said in a statement. "Before that there is no clear indication in the fossil record of whether something was an animal or a plant – but we are still filling in the details, of which this is an important one" (Ghose).
Blog Post Author: Desiree Villeneuve, Section 124-21
Article Citation
Ghose, Tia. "500-million-year-old Sea Creature Unearthed." NBC News. NBC News, 27 Feb.
2013. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17119273-500-million-year-old-sea-creature-unearthed?lite>
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