Based on the new fossils, researchers have classified the Cambrian marine animal Odaraya as a jawbone. The discovery highlights the importance of the Burgess Shale for paleontological studies by helping to understand evolutionary pathways and environmental adaptations during the Cambrian period.
Discovery and classification of Odaraiya
Paleontologists at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) have conducted a new study that helps define the evolution and ecology of OdarayyaA taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils collected by the ROM show o Odarayya had a lower jaw. Paleontologists were finally able to assign it to the lower jaw, ending the long and enigmatic classification of arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversity. Cambrian Studies Odaraia alata and colonization of nektonic suspension-feeding niches by early mandibulates is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.
The authors of the study were able to identify a pair of large appendages with hooked serrated edges near the mouth, clearly indicating the lower jaws, one of the most important and distinctive features of the lower jawed animal group. This shows that Odarayya It was one of the earliest known members of this group. After analyzing in detail more than 30 pairs of legs, the researchers made another striking discovery: They discovered a complex system of small and large spines. These spines may have been intertwined to catch smaller prey, such as fishing nets, the authors write, suggesting how some of these early jawbones broke away from the seabed and explored the water column, laying the seeds for their future ecological success.
Understanding the feeding mechanism of Odarayya
“Main shield Odarayya enveloping nearly half of its body, including its legs, as if it were placed inside a tube. Previous researchers assumed that this form would allow Odaray “They’re out to collect their prey, but so far the capture mechanism has eluded us,” says lead author Alejandro Izquierdo-López, who was working at the ROM as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto at the time of this study.Odarayya “It was beautifully described in the 1980s, but given the limited number of fossils at the time and its odd shape, two important questions remained unanswered: Was it really a jawbone? And what did it eat?”
With a size of almost 20 cm, the authors suggest that early jaws, e.g. Odaraiya, They were part of a community of large animals that were able to migrate from the Cambrian seabed ecosystems to the upper layers of the water column. Such communities could have enriched the water column and contributed to the transition to more complex ecosystems.
Evolutionary impact of Cambrian jawbones
Fossils from the Cambrian period bear witness to the great diversity of animal groups that emerged more than 500 million years ago. This period saw the evolution of numerous innovations, such as eyes, legs or shells, as well as the first diversification of many animal groups, including mandibles, one of the major groups of arthropods (animals with jointed limbs).
Jaws are an example of evolutionary success; they represent more than half of all modern species on Earth. Today, jaws are everywhere, from sea crabs to centipedes hiding in the bushes to bees flying through the meadows, but their beginnings were more modest. During the Cambrian period, the first jaws were marine animals, and many of them had distinctive head shields or shells.
Contribution of the Burgess Shale to Paleontology
“The Burgess Shale has been a treasure trove of paleontological information,” says Jean-Bernard Caron, Richard Ivey Curator at the Royal Ontario Museum and co-author of the study. “Thanks to our work at the ROM on magnificent fossil animals, Tokummia And WaptiaWe already know a significant amount about the early evolution of mandibles, but some other species remain quite enigmatic; Gift»
Uniqueness of Odaraiya and Burgess shales
The Royal Ontario Museum houses the largest collection of Cambrian fossils from the world-famous Burgess Shale in British Columbia. Burgess Shale fossils are exceptional because they preserve structures, animals, and ecosystems that would otherwise have disintegrated and disappeared from the fossil record. But lower jaws are generally rare in the fossil record. Most fossils preserve only the hard parts of animals, such as the skeletons of the well-known trilobites, or mineralized cuticles, structures not found in the jawbone.
More than forty years Odarayya It was one of the most iconic animals in the Burgess Shale, with its distinctive taco-shaped shell, large head and eyes, and tail resembling a submarine spine. The public can view specimens Odaray, Exhibited in the Wilner Mudge Gallery, Dawn of Life at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Source: Port Altele
