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Stasis: Early jawbones present 507 mya seem like can openers

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Tokummia katalepsis/Jean-Bernard Caron, Royal Ontario Museum

From ScienceDaily

Paleontologists have uncovered a new fossil species that sheds light on the origin of mandibulates, the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on Earth, to which belong familiar animals such as flies, ants, crayfish and centipedes. Named Tokummia katalepsis by the researchers, the creature documents for the first time the anatomy of early mandibulates, a sub-group of arthropods with specialized appendages known as mandibles, used to grasp, crush and cut their food.

“The pincers of Tokummia are large, yet also delicate and complex, reminding us of the shape of a can opener, with their couple of terminal teeth on one claw, and the other claw being curved towards them,” said Aria. “But we think they might have been too fragile to be handling shelly animals, and might have been better adapted to the capture of sizable soft prey items, perhaps hiding away in mud. Once torn apart by the spiny limb bases under the trunk, the mandibles would have served as a revolutionary tool to cut the flesh into small, easily digestible pieces.” Paper. (paywall) – Cédric Aria, Jean-Bernard Caron. Burgess Shale fossils illustrate the origin of the mandibulate body plan. Nature, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/nature22080 More.

See also: Researchers: Pre-mammalian reptile evolved venom 100 million years before snakes

and

Stasis: Life goes on but evolution does not happen

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