Scientists Reveal 3D Computer Model of Kulindroplax
Posted on October 4, 2012
Scientists discovered the fossil of the worm-like partly shelled Kulindroplax and created a 3D computer model of it. The creature is described as the evolutionary missing link between two mollusc groups. It lived in the sea during the Silurian Period, approximately 425 million years ago. The fossil was found in the Welsh borderland.
The study was led by Dr Mark Sutton, from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, in conjunction with researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Leicester, Yale and Queen's University Belfast.
Dr. Sutton said in a release, "Most people don't realise that molluscs, which have been around for hundreds of millions of years, are an extremely rich and diverse branch of life on Earth. Just as tracing a long lost uncle is important for developing a more complete family tree, unearthing this extremely rare and ancient Kulindroplax fossil is helping us to understand the relationship between two mollusc groups, which is also helping us to understand how molluscs have evolved on Earth."
Take a look:
The researchers say scientists have been debating the relationship between aplacophorans and chitons for over twenty years. The Kulindroplax is partly shelled like chitons and has a worm-like aplacophoran body. This provides evidence that aplacophorans and chitons are closely related.
The research was published here in the journal Nature.
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