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Fossils of a new group of animal predators have been located in the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet fossil locality in North Greenland. These large worms may be some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonized the water column more than 518 million years ago, revealing a past dynasty of predators that scientists didn't know existed.

The new fossil animals have been named Timorebestia, meaning 'terror beasts' in Latin. Adorned with fins down the sides of their body, a distinct head with long antennae, massive jaw structures inside their mouth, and growing to more than 30cm in length, these were some of the largest swimming animals in the Early Cambrian times.

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[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 46 points 10 months ago
[-] triclops6@lemmy.ca 10 points 10 months ago

3rd day of 2024 and we're already finding out we're on Dune

[-] flooppoolf@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

*were on dune

The magic is dead

[-] doppelgangmember@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Least we still got the psychedelics ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[-] flooppoolf@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

They don’t make my eyes look cool. I just get raccoon goggles and red eye :(

[-] doppelgangmember@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Always test the supply, be safe all!

[-] Zorque@kbin.social 21 points 10 months ago

Nah, those are just Goa'uld from one of the many time travel episodes.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago

At 30cm in length, I think you're right.

[-] Turbofish@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Ah bud, please. I already get nightmares.

[-] ConditionOverload@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago

Where's Kevin Bacon when you need him?

[-] Kata1yst@kbin.social 20 points 10 months ago
[-] ikapoz@sh.itjust.works 14 points 10 months ago

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

[-] MajorHavoc@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

Yeah. The quotes around 'giant' in the title aren't rated for carrying this much euphemism. They're going to collapse under the strain of our disappointment. I was promsied giant arctic worms, darn it. That's a CR13 monster in D&D!

[-] BOFH@lemmy.ml 3 points 10 months ago

Compounded by the lack of pictures in this article.

[-] CluelessLemmyng 16 points 10 months ago

Tremors got it right, huh?

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

At 30cm in length, maybe on ant scale (ngl, I'd probably watch that movie lol)

[-] Deceptichum@kbin.social 3 points 10 months ago

We have metre long earth worms near me, could throw some of them in.

[-] Xariphon@kbin.social 12 points 10 months ago

Fossils.

Fossils of a half-billion year old predator worm.

Not. Y'know. C'thulhu's Viking cousins.

[-] NataliePortland@lemmy.ca 11 points 10 months ago

Lovecraft was right

[-] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 9 points 10 months ago
[-] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It's big... scary... And pink!

[-] Whirlgirl9@kbin.social 6 points 10 months ago

He who controls the spice controls the universe!

[-] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 10 months ago

Brutally blatant clickbait.

[-] Jaderick@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

"However, Timorebestia is a distant, but close, relative of living arrow worms, or chaetognaths.

Just say closest lmao

[-] Skua@kbin.social 2 points 10 months ago

It's called a tim'rous beastie? Damn it's a few weeks early for Burns' night

[-] shiveyarbles@beehaw.org 2 points 10 months ago

The spice must flow!

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

And those bitches are probably going to wake up when the tundra thaws!

this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
126 points (98.5% liked)

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Paleontology, also spelled palaeontology[a] or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossils to classify organisms and study their interactions with each other and their environments (their /c/paleoecology. Read more...

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