Old Jellyfish Fossils Found:
Researchers have unveiled a collection of jellyfish fossils from the Cambrian period, providing a unique glimpse into their distant past.
- These preserved fossils, found in the Burgess Shale- a renowned fossil-rich site in the Canadian Rockies, offer an improbable pathway to preservation.
- The newly discovered jellyfish fossils retained remarkable features, such as over 90 fingerlike tentacles protruding from their bell-shaped bodies.
- Some specimens even contained stomach contents and gonads, providing invaluable insights into their anatomy and behavior.
- These things help scientists learn about how the jellyfish looked and acted.
- In the 1990s, scientists dug up over 170 jellyfish fossils in a place called Raymond Quarry in British Columbia. These fossils were kept for a long time.
- Researchers re-examined the specimens from the excavation and identified that the fossils actually belonged to a previously unknown species.
- This newly discovered species was named Burgessomedusa phasmiformis.
- The species falls under the medusozoans category.
