One of the most widespread type of organisms that exist in on Earth are those of the insect category. This stays true when we also look back in time as far as hundreds of millions of years. While they are not the prettiest beings to look at, they provide a lot of insight on the environment in which they evolved, the evolution of the creature itself and, potentially, information on other creatures.
A team of scientists from Canada have discovered a new aquatic-based, fossilized creature during a 2014 research expedition in British Columbia’s Burgess Shale.
Tokummia katalepsis
At that time, the team had no idea what they have stumbled upon. This old sea creature will help scientist connect links with other types of mandibulates. Mandibulates are species of creatures which have evolved with appendages that are designed to cut and crush the food they eat.
The new species has been named Tokummia katalepsis, and is believed to have lived 507 million years ago, this period being known as the Cambrian. During this period, Tokummia is believed to have evolved and lived in tropical seas, where there was a lot of diversity in the sea fauna. Based on its look, it would appear to have lived at the sea’s flood, making use of its multiple legs for locomotion and swimming.
Not restricted to water
Researchers believe that Tokummia did not live its life solely at the sea’s floor, but it might have also gone on land to hunt prey with its mandibles. Its mandibles are appendages that function much like arms, most likely used for grabbing and crushing food and then manipulate the pieces to its mouth.
Tokumia is considerably big compared to similar creatures found in the area. The example they found features a soft tissue on its body, it measures at around 10 centimeters and it is considerably well-preserved.
