400 million year old gigantic extinct monsterworm discovered in Canadian museum21 February 2017

Artistic reconstruction showing W. armstrongi attacking afish in the Devonian sea. Credit: James Ormiston

A previously undiscovered species of an extinctprimordial giant worm with terrifying snapping jawshas been identified by an international team ofscientists.

Researchers from the University of Bristol, LundUniversity in Sweden and the Royal OntarioMuseum studied an ancient fossil, which has beenstored at the museum since the mid-1990s, anddiscovered the remains of a giant extinct bristleworm (the marine relatives of earthworms andleeches).

The findings are published today in ScientificReports.

The new species is unique among fossil wormsand possessed the largest jaws ever recorded inthis type of creature, reaching over one centimetrein length and easily visible to the naked eye.Typically, such fossil jaws are only a fewmillimetres in size and need to be studied usingmicroscopes.

Despite being only knows from the jaws,comparison with living species suggests that thisanimal achieved a body length in excess of ametre.

This is comparable to that of 'giant eunicid' species,colloquially referred to as 'Bobbit worms' which arefearsome and opportunistic ambush predators,using their powerful jaws to capture prey such asfish and cephalopods (squids and octopuses) anddragging them into their burrows.

Lead author Mats Eriksson from Lund Universitysaid: "Gigantism in animals is an alluring andecologically important trait, usually associated withadvantages and competitive dominance.

The holotype of Websteroprion armstrongi. Credit: LukeParry

"It is, however, a poorly understood phenomenonamong marine worms and has never before beendemonstrated in a fossil species.

"The new species demonstrates a unique case ofpolychaete gigantism in the Palaeozoic, some 400million years ago."

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Co-author Luke Parry from the University ofBristol's School of Earth Sciences, added: "It alsoshows that gigantism in jaw-bearing polychaeteswas restricted to one particular evolutionary cladewithin the Eunicida and has evolved many times indifferent species."

The specimens were collected over the course of afew hours in a single day in June 1994, when DerekK Armstrong of Ontario Geological Survey wasdropped by helicopter to investigate the rocks andfossils at a remote and temporary exposure inOntario.

Sample materials, from what proved to belong tothe Devonian Kwataboahegan Formation, werebrought back to the Royal Ontario Museum, wherethey have been stored until they caught the eyes ofthe authors'.

A 3-D reconstruction of parts of the jaw apparatus of W.armstrongi from CT scanning of the fossil specimens.Credit: Luke Parry

David Rudkin from the museum said: "This is anexcellent example of the importance of looking inremote and unexplored areas for finding newexciting things, but also the importance ofscrutinizing museum collections for overlookedgems."

The species has been named Websteroprionarmstrongi. This honours Armstrong, who collectedthe material, and bass player extraordinaire, AlexWebster of Death Metal band Cannibal Corpse,since he can be regarded as a 'giant' when itcomes to handling his instrument.

Luke Parry added: "This is fitting also since, besideour appetite for evolution and paleontology, allthree authors have a profound interest in music andare keen hobby musicians."

More information: 'Earth's oldest 'Bobbit worm' –gigantism in a Devonian eunicidan polychaete' byMats E. Eriksson, Luke A. Parry & David M. Rudkinin Scientific Reports

Provided by University of Bristol

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APA citation: 400 million year old gigantic extinct monster worm discovered in Canadian museum (2017,February 21) retrieved 4 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2017-02-million-year-gigantic-extinct-monster.html

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