Anomalocaris



A new species, Anomalocaris briggsi, endemic to the Emu Bay Shale. The spines have small hair-like spinules attached to the leading edge. A. briggsi was probably not a raptoral hunter, but used its appendages like a net to trap small invertebrates.


A poorly preserved appendage of A. briggsi showing some of the spinules along the leading edge of the spine. Scale bar = 5 mm


A specimen of A. briggsi preserving an articulated pair of frontal appendages. Whilst not as spectacular as some of the other fossils, this specimen gives us important information as to the environment of deposition. The fact that the appendages are still articulated indicated that the site was not influenced by strong currents - since these would have rapidly disarticulated this specimen. Field of view = 8 cm.


Another species of Anomalocaris similar to some found in the Chengjiang fauna of southern China. The important character in this species is the presence of large spines on the first segment of the appendage.


Last modified: Jan 21st. 1999