![]() "It is, however, a poorly understood phenomenon among marine worms and has never before been demonstrated in a fossil species. The holotype of Websteroprion armstrongi. Lead author Mats Eriksson from Lund University said: "Gigantism in animals is an alluring and ecologically important trait, usually associated with advantages and competitive dominance. ![]() This is comparable to that of 'giant eunicid' species, colloquially referred to as 'Bobbit worms' which are fearsome and opportunistic ambush predators, using their powerful jaws to capture prey such as fish and cephalopods (squids and octopuses) and dragging them into their burrows. ![]() Typically, such fossil jaws are only a few millimetres in size and need to be studied using microscopes.ĭespite being only knows from the jaws, comparison with living species suggests that this animal achieved a body length in excess of a metre. The new species is unique among fossil worms and possessed the largest jaws ever recorded in this type of creature, reaching over one centimetre in length and easily visible to the naked eye. The findings are published today in Scientific Reports. Researchers from the University of Bristol, Lund University in Sweden and the Royal Ontario Museum studied an ancient fossil, which has been stored at the museum since the mid-1990s, and discovered the remains of a giant extinct bristle worm (the marine relatives of earthworms and leeches).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |