New discoveries never cease to amaze us and this latest ancient creature discovered in the Southern part of China will either amaze us or scare us. Try to imagine a worm with spikes, 30 legs and 18 of those 30 legs located at the rear have claws and the rest located in the front had a feather-like appearance. Now imagine these worms in your garden.
The worm-like creature of the fossil now scientifically named Collinsium ciliosum or Hairy Collins' Monster after the name of the paleontologist who discovered it, Desmond Collins, is believed to have existed 500 million years ago during the Cambrian period.
Phys.Org reported that the discovery is a joint effort from the researchers at Yunnan University in China as well as the researchers from the University of Cambridge. The ancient worm was discovered in Xiaoshiba deposit — a site rarely explored by researchers and scientists.
CNET reported that Harry Collins' Monster has a total of 72 spikes - very sharp spikes to help fight off predators. Scientists believed that the creature is quite sedentary and is an easy target for other bigger animals. The fossils that were discovered also revealed that the creature did not have any eyes or teeth and its structure is necessary for survival.
Researchers believed that Hairy Collins' Monster is a distant relative of the velvet worms. Dr. Javier Ortega-Hernandez from Cambridge University stated that the modern velvet worms and the Harry Collins' Monster share similar general body organization. Dr. Ortega-Hernandez added that both worms are "lobopodians" or legged worms. He also noted that the Harry Colllins' Monster is "a bit of a large animal for this time period," referring to the Cambrian period.
Another fascinating fact about the newly-discovered creature is that it belonged to the first group of animals with protective armor, CBS News reported.
So next time that you see a worm, remember that they were once a mighty creature that crawled the Earth.
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