These arthropod more like hallucinations than animals

Meet - hallucigenia!



Fossil remains of an unknown species of arthropods ancient science first discovered in 1979 by scientist Simon Conway Morris, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and later similar finds were made in China.



After careful study of fossils Morris came to the conclusion that the animal was so unusual that most belonged to the world of fantasy, rather than to reality, so he christened the creature Hallucigenia - from the word "hallucination».

In further studies paleozoologists calculated that hallucigenia is a relative of the modern arthropods - creatures have long (from 0, 5 to 3 cm) worm-like body with two rows of seven tentacles and appendages on the back. At one end of the body was located thickening, which the researchers have taken his head, though no sensory organs like the eye or the mouth to the "head" was not there. Some scientists believe that the processes were hallucigenia legs and tentacles used in self-defense.

Sam Simon Morris did not find a clear explanation of how the animal to eat and to navigate in space, and other researchers suggest that hallucigenia as an independent organism does not exist - the remains found could be part of a larger animal.

via factroom.ru