evolution Archives - The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation One Of The World's Most Important Fossil Sites Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:47:53 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/cropped-cropped-Adobe-Express-file-32x32.png evolution Archives - The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation 32 32 Ancient Squatters: Hermit Behavior in Cambrian “Penis worms” (Priapulids) https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/ancient-squatters-hermit-behavior-in-cambrian-penis-worms-priapulids/ Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:51:30 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=5107 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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]]> Trilobite sex https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/trilobite-sex/ Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:07:10 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=4659 Trilobite species Olenoides serratus, has been well studied since 1909 and is one of the most fully understood trilobites in the fossil record, due to the exceptional preservation of soft tissues (labile tissue) at the Burgess Shale. Now after over 100 years of studying the species, and half a billion years since its extinction, scientists […]

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]]> Five-eyes!? Kylinxia zhangi, a new Opabinia-like fossil https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/five-eyes-kylinxia-zhangi-a-new-fossil-like-opabinia/ Thu, 03 Dec 2020 17:14:49 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=3382 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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]]> Tropical Fossils: The Burgess Shale Is Not Alone! https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/tropical-fossils-the-burgess-shale-is-not-alone/ Sun, 15 Nov 2020 18:26:00 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=2422 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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]]> The Cambrian Explosion and the Burgess Shale https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/the-cambrian-explosion-and-the-burgess-shale/ Thu, 30 May 2019 16:12:56 +0000 http://cpb.dvr.mybluehost.me/?p=1862 Cambrian Explosion The early Cambrian period marks one of the most spectacular evolutionary events in the history of life – The Cambrian Explosion. This was an explosion of life. Within ten million years, a very short period geologically, a host of hard-body and soft-body animals appeared in the fossil record. Trilobites, molluscs, chordates, cnidarians, brachiopods and […]

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]]> Burgess Shale Books: Where can I find more information on the Burgess Shale? https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/burgess-shale-books/ Thu, 02 May 2019 16:35:10 +0000 http://cpb.dvr.mybluehost.me/?p=1867 If you are booked to come on one of our hikes or are just interested in the Burgess Shale, here are some great Burgess Shale books to help you learn more.  A Geoscience Guide to the Burgess Shale – This easy-to-read illustrated guide immerses the reader in the history, geology, environment and, most importantly, the […]

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]]> Qingjiang biota: A Burgess Shale type deposit in China https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/qingjiang-biota/ Wed, 03 Apr 2019 20:55:14 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=2239 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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]]> Some of Earth’s first animals—including a mysterious, alien-looking spaceship—are spilling out of Canadian rocks https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/some-of-earths-first-animals-including-a-mysterious-alien-looking-creature-are-spilling-out-of-canadian-rocks/ Fri, 30 Nov 2018 23:33:13 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=2327 Science magazine just published a great article about some of the newest Burgess Shale fossil finds in Kootenay National Park. In the above photo Jean-Bernard Caron shows off the “mothership,” an enigmatic Cambrian life form his team found this past summer.   Click this link to go to the original article. 

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]]> World Heritage Status and the Protection of Burgess Shale Fossils https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/world-heritage-status-and-the-preservation-of-burgess-shale-fossils/ Thu, 22 Nov 2018 23:43:59 +0000 https://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/?p=2333 In 1984, UNESCO included the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (CRMPs) on its World Heritage List. This property consists of the following national parks: Yoho, Banff, Kootenay, and Jasper. As well as, the following provincial parks Mt. Robson, Hamber, and Mt. Assiniboine. The site encompasses a contiguous area that is 2,299,104 hectares in size. For a property […]

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