Anomalocaris

ancient ocean · early arthropod · weird creature

Circular sucker mouth. Anomalocaris had a round mouth filled with rings of teeth arranged in circles, like nothing alive today. Scientists think it used this mouth to grab and crush its prey.

Spiky grabbing arms. This creature had two long limbs with spikes on them that stuck out near its mouth. These arms helped it catch smaller animals swimming nearby.

Ancient ocean dweller. Anomalocaris lived in shallow seas more than 500 million years ago during the Cambrian period. Fossils of it have been found in Canada, Australia, China, and the United States.

Medium-sized hunter. Unlike some of its tiny neighbors, Anomalocaris was one of the larger animals of its time, making it a top predator in its ocean home. It was an important hunter in the ancient food chain.

Distant arthropod cousin. Anomalocaris belongs to a group called radiodonts that were early relatives of modern arthropods like insects, crabs, and spiders. It shows how different ancient arthropods were from their living cousins today.