The Cambrian Period: A time when life exploded
The Cambrian Period, occurring 540 to 500 million years ago, marked a rapid increase in biodiversity and the emergence of complex animal life. New research on the predator Anomalocaris provides further insight into this evolutionary milestone.
Why it matters
Understanding the Cambrian Explosion is fundamental to evolutionary biology, as it explains the origin of most major animal groups found on Earth today.
The Cambrian Period: A time when life exploded left A drawing of the super predator Anomalocaris, which existed during the Cambrian period. AFP AFP https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/msme22/article71518465.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/972505-01-02.jpg KATRINA KENNY UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL DECEMBER 7, 2011 AT 18:00 A handout photo provided on December 7, 2011 by the journal Nature shows a drawing made by Katrina Kenny of the University of Adelaide showing the fearsome meter-long super predator Anomalocaris. According to a study published on December 7 shedding light on one of the Earth's most intriguing evolutionary periods, the ancient sea predator, Anomalocari, with a spined head and plated mouth grew to a much greater size and lived far longer than thought. Scientists, in a paper published by the journal Nature, describe the splendid fossil of an animal called an anomalocaridid.
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