Opabinia

ancient ocean · strange animals · arthropods

Five mysterious eyes. Opabinia had five eyes on its head, which is way more than most creatures use. Scientists still aren't totally sure how all five eyes worked together or what each one could see.

Claw grabbing arm. Instead of normal jaws, Opabinia had a long, bendy arm with a claw on the end called a proboscis. It used this weird grabber to hunt for tiny soft food on the ocean floor.

Tiny ocean bottom hunter. At only 7 centimeters long (about the size of your pinky finger), Opabinia scurried along the seafloor hunting for snacks. It was just one of thousands of strange creatures living in ancient seas.

Backward facing mouth. Here's the strangest part: Opabinia's mouth faced backwards and was tucked underneath its head. Its grabbing arm probably stuffed food into this unusual backward mouth.

Fossil rockstar. Opabinia fossils come from the Burgess Shale in Canada, one of the most important places to find ancient sea creatures. Fewer than twenty good Opabinia fossils have ever been found, making it quite rare.