The Cambrian period saw a rise in complex life forms like this early arthropod from simple multi-cellular creatures.
Because the ancient arthropods, fuxhianhuiid, were fossilized in a flipped position in a region of Southwest China, they are only example of preserved feeding limbs in this species.
A site in Southwest China has revealed a rich trove of creatures from the Cambrian period, including the only example of a nervous system that extends past the head.
Arthropods from the Burgess shale, such as the trilobite Olenoides and a chelicerate called Sidneyia, exploded in morphological diversity following the so-called Cambrian Explosion.
Trilobites are a common find at the Burgess Shale.
A chain of trilobites preserved in Poland's Holy Cross Mountains.
Paleontologists have also identified a a slug-like creature covered with prickly armor at the Burgess Shale
The Cambrian also saw the rise of larger creatures, such as this 2-foot-long ancient shrimplike creatures called anomalocaridids, which had spiny head limbs for catching prey
The Cambrian also saw the rise of larger creatures, such as this 2-foot-long ancient shrimplike creatures called anomalocaridids had long, which had spiny head limbs for catching prey
