Discover the 506-Million-Year-Old ‘Mothra’ Fossil: A Fascinating Glimpse into the Oddities of Early Life

A newly discovered creature from the Cambrian period is changing what we know about early animal evolution. Meet Mosura fentoni, a tiny predator about the size of your fingertip, identified in Canada’s Burgess Shale. With three eyes, claws, and flappy limbs, it looks like something out of a science fiction movie.

Mosura is a part of a group called radiodonts, which are now extinct arthropods. The most famous member of this group is Anomalocaris, a three-foot-long terror of the seas. Like its relatives, Mosura had a unique feeding structure and paddle-like limbs for swimming. However, it also featured an unusual tail made up of 16 segments with gills. This finding was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Joe Moysiuk, the study’s lead author and a curator at the Manitoba Museum, noted, “There always seems to be something new and surprising about radiodonts.” He mentioned that the tail’s tiny segments likely weren’t useful for moving through water, raising questions about why Mosura needed such a structure. It’s possible it thrived in low-oxygen areas of ancient oceans or led a particularly active lifestyle.

Researchers gave Mosura the nickname “sea-moth” due to its broad flaps and slender body. This name pays homage to Mothra, a famous Japanese monster. Despite the nickname, Mosura is not related to moths; it belongs to a much older line of arthropods. Scientists are continuously uncovering new species in the Burgess Shale, thanks to the high level of preservation at this ancient seafloor site.

Mosura also offers valuable insights into internal anatomy from over 500 million years ago. Among the 61 fossils studied, some retained nerve tissue, eye structures, and even reflect patches indicating an open circulatory system. Previous fossils lacked such details, making Mosura a significant find.

The fossils, mostly collected by the Royal Ontario Museum over the last 50 years, come from Yoho and Kootenay National Parks, both part of the rich Burgess Shale region. This historical site is renowned for preserving soft-bodied marine life.

Moysiuk has also discovered other fascinating creatures from the Cambrian Explosion, like Titanokorys gainesi in 2021 and Cambroraster falcatus in 2019, which was inspired by the Millennium Falcon.

While the world of radiodonts continues to surprise scientists, Moysiuk humorously suggests that future discoveries might inspire new names from pop culture. “With so many other potential inspirations from science fiction, it could lead to some fun references,” he said. As long as creatures like Mosura keep appearing, expect to see a blend of science and imagination in future naming conventions.

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Arthropods,Cambrian explosion,fossils