Human-Sized Lobster Was Once World's Largest Animal



The research of a long-extinct giant sea monster fossil has given scientists greater insights into the early development of arthropods, particularly along the ancestral line of modern day lobsters and the like. Arthropods are considered one of Earth’s greatest success stories, as they’ve been surviving, evolving, and specializing for hundreds of millions of years.  Research of a 480 million year old giant sea monster fossil has given scientists even greater insights into their early development, particularly those along the ancestral line of modern day lobsters and the like.  "Says Peter Van Roy, it was the biggest animal on the planet at the time. Van Roy is the paleontologist at Yale University who spent the 500 hours preparing it." [Via NPR] The 7-foot specimen studied was found in Morocco years ago and handed over to scientists for examination.  Among the first things the team noticed was that the creature showed signs of having developed flaps, which serve as evidence of legs, in sets of 2.  Given when it lived, the discovery is huge, as the fossil serves as sort of a missing link in the chain of the group’s evolution.  Much of the long-term success of numerous sorts of arthropods is attributed to how their bodies have segmented over time, and how the legs on each portion have evolved into double-branched systems that perform very specific tasks.  What’s been among the greatest mysteries is how such specialized development came into being, something the recently discovered, dual-legged creature helps clarify.  As for its size, its believed that was a simple survival tactic as the animals otherwise had very few defenses.

Comments

  1. Awesome
  2. Woah amazing


Additional Information:

Visibility: 10776

Duration: 1m 24s

Rating: 26