In the north of Greenlandin a fossil reserve known as Sirius Passet Lagerstätte, scientists found something surprising: fossils of predatory worms dating back approximately 518 million years.
Called from Timorebestiaderived from the Latin for “terrorist beasts,” these animals unknown to science shed light on a group of early Cambrian marine predators.
Million-year-old discovery
The worms, identified as relatives of current chaetognathsare known as comparative monsters, reaching around 30 centimeters, much larger than their modern relatives, which range from 3 to 100 millimeters.
Their discovery occurred in a fossiliferous location that dates back more than half a billion years, suggesting that such marine beings may have been some of the first aquatic predators in the early Cambrian.
It is the largest worm specimen measuring almost 30 centimeters – Image: Dr. Jakob Vinther/Reproduction
You Timorebestia They had impressive features, such as long antennae and jaws inside the head, thus differentiating them from earthworms, whose jaws are external.
Although its size may not seem intimidating to human beings modern, these giant worms posed a significant threat to the other inhabitants of the water column at that time.
“These ancient ocean ecosystems were quite complex, with multiple layers of predators,” said senior study author Dr Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol. “Timorebestia were at the top of the food chain, comparable to the top predators of the modern oceans. , like sharks and seals from the Cambrian period”, concludes the scientist.
Evidence of their predatory ability has been located in their fossilized digestive systems, filled with the remains of the unlucky ones. Isoxysswimming arthropods common at the time, but apparently vulnerable to Timorebestia.
This finding adds a dynasty of predators previously unknown in the ancient oceans. Studies suggest that Timorebestia and similar worms likely dominated the oceans before the rise of arthropods.
This dominance is believed to have lasted for 10 to 15 million years, until they were replaced by other, more successful marine life forms.
The remarkably preserved fossils of Sirius Passet have not only enabled the discovery of these “terrorist beasts,” but have also revealed fascinating anatomical details, including their muscular anatomy and digestive and nervous systems.
Future expeditions promise to reveal more about the evolution and life of Earth’s first animal ecosystems. Earth.
