Before you start next week peek at ZE Frank's stuff over the past 11+ years.
Not for children or squeamish people.
Biologists in the know love being in his credits which is great for inspiring research.
From 5 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7V8DRfZBQI
It’s actually so bad the authors didn’t attempt a phylogeny, fossil was preserved inside out and missing most of its outsides. I think it’s a relative of Captopodus and Acheronauta.
From what I read, the actual limbs weren't preserved at all, so would be purely speculative, and there's no consensus as to where it goes in relation to other arthropods, because we don't have good preservation of the actual head segments.
Apparently reasons to reject mandibulates, chelicerates and artiopoda (Trilobite kin) as parent clades, as well as other potential affinities, but I highly suspect this might change if we get hard parts.
Apparently the fossil bed it was foud in is known for having good preservation of soft tissues and poor preservation of hard (mineralized?) tissues from the article I found. So they're not turned inside out, but are the opposite of what you'd expect.
Which has to be some really weird chemical or physical conditions going on there. What kind of conditions even do that? Highly acidic water with low oxygen for decomposition? Rapid burrial in sediment that was corrosive to mineralized parts but prevented decomposition of soft tissues?
Comments
Not for children or squeamish people.
Biologists in the know love being in his credits which is great for inspiring research.
From 5 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7V8DRfZBQI