Anomalocaris
Anomalocaris canadensis
This distinctive radiodont is a key example of the early diversity of large active predators.
Image: Chris Woodrich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Anomalocaris canadensis
- Period
- Middle Cambrian
- Lived
- 508–505 Ma (508 million years ago)
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Habitat
- Open sea
- Length (estimate)
- 1 m
Description
Anomalocaris swam using undulating side lobes and steered with a pair of large, jointed grasping appendages. Its circular mouth consisted of plates with tooth-like edges, and stalked compound eyes were positioned at the front. It was one of the largest known animals of its time, but its exact prey and bite strength remain debated. Fossils show that its body was flexible and capable of moving rapidly through water.
Habitat
Open water above the Cambrian seabed.
Fossil sites
Burgess Shale, British Columbia
Burgess Shale Formation
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Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Anomalocaris