Researchers at the University of Missouri have found a rare, 500-million-year-old “worm-like” fossil called a palaeoscolecid, which is an uncommon fossil group in North America.
Jim Schiffbauer, an associate professor of Geological Sciences, along with a team of University of Missouri researchers, has found a rare, 500-million-year-old fossil called palaeoscolecid. This fossil was found in western Utah, and it belongs to an uncommon fossil group in North America.
“This group of animals are extinct, so we don’t see them, or any modern relatives, on the planet today,” Schiffbauer said.
The finding can help scientist better understand how diverse the Earth’ animals were during the Camrian explosion – which occurred 530-540 million years ago – as the first major appearance of many of the world’s animal groups in the fossil record.
You can learn more about this discovery here: https://showme.missouri.edu/2021/500-million-year-old-fossil-represents-rare-discovery-of-ancient-animal-in-north-america/