Anomalocaris lived 506 million years ago. Like today's sharks, lions and wolves, this animal was a top predator on the Cambrian marine food chain. This fossil comes from the famous Burgess Shale fossil deposit in British Columbia.
Compared with other fossils from the same period, Anomalocaris was a giant. It can grow up to one meter long. Therefore, it is likely that the fossil on display is not a fully adult Anomalocaris.
Shale is matte, brownish-grey in color. The fossil extends vertically through the center of the shale fragment, with its head at the top (12 o'clock) and its tail at the bottom (6 o'clock). Its body is light yellow and shaped like an oval leaning to the right. There are two yellowish spots on the top of the fossil's rounded head where its eyes once were. Its long and wide body has segments that overlap like shingles all the way down. These segments narrow at the bottom and then spread out again into a fan-shaped tail.
So, what would this thing look like alive? 506 million years ago, our planet's oceans were filled with strange and wonderful creatures that would seem alien to us today.
Anomalocaris is an arthropod. This means it is a distant relative of today's spiders, insects, shrimps and lobsters. It has two eyes on its head that bulged at the end of stalks on either side of its face. Its head also has two barbed limbs in front of its mouth. Along its length, on each side of the body, are a series of overlapping flaps. These flaps may move in a wave-like manner, helping to make it a powerful swimmer.
The combination of relatively large size, excellent eyesight, great speed and spiked forelimbs make Anomalocaris a formidable predator. It has a round mouth containing 32 sharp teeth. With its toothy mouth, Anomalocaris can grab trilobites with its sharp claws and crush them into its mouth. It may also use its forelimbs to stir up mud and mashed mushy meals like worms.
This is the most complete Anomalocaris fossil known to date.