Prehistoric worm with legs and thorns finally classified

A prehistoric fossil discovered in 1977 has finally been properly ranked in the evolutionary chain. The delay is due to the fact that the animal has unusual characteristics, making it difficult to confirm a relationship with modern animals.

It was a worm-like worm, but with strange paws and thorns, and a tail-like head. The prehistoric being averaged 5 to 3 mm and lived on the ocean floor.

British paleontologist Simon Conway Morris identified the animal among fossils found in the Canadian Rockies and named the species Hallucigenia sparsa because of its "bizarre" form, which could have been hallucinated.

However, to date this species has not found its proper place in the evolutionary chain. Now researchers at Cambridge University in Britain have confirmed their link to worms living in rainforests ( Onychophora ).

" Hallucigenia 's peculiar claws are the evidence that has resolved a long and intense debate in the field of evolutionary biology, " said Martin Smith, one of the study's authors.

Via In Summary