LONDON, June 24. 2015. The Hallucigenia, identified in 1977 as an individual organism, had several pairs of extremities and a double row of spines on the back, although until now it was not known how it was his head. Is related to modern insects, arachnids and crustaceans, according to a study published today in the journal Nature.
The discovery in Canada of a new fossil has allowed Martin Smith of the University of Cambridge, and group concluded that the creature had a small, elongated head at the end of a thin neck.
Scientists have also identified a pair of simple eyes-as opposed to compounds, more evolucionados-, a mouth and teeth circulars.
The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of modern arthropods, although Hallucigenia is not a direct ancestor of this group, but a “close relative”.
“The Hallucigenia not leave a living descendant. It is part of a group that became extinct in the Cambrian period, “said the researcher, who explained that the creature is an early lineage of onychophorans, a type of worm with dozens of tips exemplary.
In the same issue of the journal Nature, scientists at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington (USA) described the discovery of a fossil of primitive turtle over 240 million years.
The fossil provides new clues about the evolution of turtles and the origin of its shell, which still holds mysteries for science.
The fossilized specimen of about 20 centimeters, is a link between the first ancestors of turtles and modern animals.
The creature, dubbed Pappochelys, no shell and has some broad protective ribs and bones in the stomach.
Els
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