China Archives - The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation

Eximipriapulus, a type of Priaulid (Priapulan) worm that lived approximately 500 million years ago occupying the shell of a deceased creature. Priapulids (Priapulans) are still around today and are commonly called "penis worms". Credit: Zhang Xiguang

Ancient Squatters: Hermit Behavior in Cambrian “Penis worms” (Priapulids)

Hugh / April 26, 2024 / cambrian explosion, evolution

Move over, hermit crabs! A 2021 paper published in the journal Current Biology suggests similar shell-occupying behavior in an unexpected source: Cambrian priapulid (priapulan) worms, also known as “penis worms” due to their gross morphology (overall shape of the organism) bearing a remarkable similarity to the human penis. World class quality “penis worm” fossils can be found at the Walcott […]

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Ecological reconstruction of Kylinxia zhangi. (Artwork by D.-Y. Huang & H. Zeng)

Five-eyes!? Kylinxia zhangi, a new Opabinia-like fossil

Hugh / December 3, 2020 / Cambrian, evolution

Kylinxia zhangi is a newly described euarthropod with five-eyes. It is was discovered in a Cambrian aged deposit in Chengjiang, China, and was recently described in the journal Nature. Kylinxia looks remarkably like a cross between two Burgess Shale animals, Opabinia regalis and Anomalocaris canadensis. The Burgess Shale is currently dated to 506 million years

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Illustation: Z.H. YAO & D.J. FU. Artists rendering of the Qingjiang biota showing characteristic early Cambrian taxa from the Lagerstatte

Tropical Fossils: The Burgess Shale Is Not Alone!

Hugh / November 15, 2020 / Cambrian, evolution

Tropical Fossils? The Burgess Shale fossils are found in the Canadian Rockies at a latitude of 51 North. However, the fossilized animals lived and died in the tropics. This change in latitude over time is the result of the slow action of Plate Tectonics. For the last 508 Million years the North America plate has

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Leanchoilia an arthropod, from the Qingjiang fossil site

Qingjiang biota: A Burgess Shale type deposit in China

Hugh / April 3, 2019 / cambrian explosion, evolution

The Qingjiang biota, a newly discovered fossil site in China, is a treasure trove for paleontologists studying the Cambrian explosion, when life on Earth suddenly and massively expanded in diversity about 500 million years ago. More than 2,000 specimens were found at the 518 million-year-old site, and half of those specimens represent species of animals that

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China

Ancient Squatters: Hermit Behavior in Cambrian “Penis worms” (Priapulids)

Five-eyes!? Kylinxia zhangi, a new Opabinia-like fossil

Tropical Fossils: The Burgess Shale Is Not Alone!

Qingjiang biota: A Burgess Shale type deposit in China

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