The evolution of life began with the explosion of life in the Cambrian period. The second period of the Paleozoic Era was characterized by many strange-looking multicellular organisms. This is the era of some of the great achievements of evolution that exist in living organisms today.
While there are floating jelly-like fish like Hakouihthys, the creatures described in this article are like porcupines in the sea. It is called Wiwaxia. Wiwaxia is an invertebrate marine animal. It was a small animal with spikes on its back. It was featured in David Attenborough’s “First Life”.
This animal lives close to the bottom of the sea because it helps it survive. It’s not a swimmer, so it’s likely to sink at the bottom of the ocean. We’ll discuss what Wiwaxia is and how long it’s been around. We’ll also discuss how it lived and died millions of years ago.
description and dimensions
Wiwaxia is a small sea creature that lives like a slug in the sea.it belongs to shellfish fauna and bee family family. It is an invertebrate with a soft body and a smooth abdomen. While its underbelly is unprotected, its back is. It has leaf-like scales on its abdomen.
Vivasha lived between the early and middle Cambrian periods of the Paleozoic Era. They are part of the multicellular organisms that evolved during the Cambrian Explosion. They existed between 54.1 and 485 million years ago. The animal had features that are still found in many molluscs today.
Some key facts about Wiwaxia are:
- Length – about 2 inches long
- Height – about 1 cm (without spikes)
- Diameter – approx. 30mm
- Attributes – Very small, with spikes on the back, no head and tail, smooth slug-like underside
Wiwaxia is one of those evolved organisms that has developed a distinct defense mechanism. They are easy prey animals. This is due to their lack of ability and skill to fight and attack. This also means they are at the bottom of the food chain. Their defensive backs have long, sharp spikes and armor plates.
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The spikes on its back can be as long as its body. It uses this spike to protect itself from predators. Wiwaxia has small armor plates covering its back. These armor plates act as a shield against predator attacks. This means that although the plates protect it, it can attack and ward off predators with its sharp spikes.
Armor plates are called splints. They are arranged in 8 rows and lie flat on its body. They also overlap to form the five regions of their armor. This armor is replaced periodically as the animal grows. Wiwaxia’s mouth has small, sharp teeth. Since it couldn’t hunt, it likely used them to get better at getting algae from the seafloor.
Wiwaxia has no head, which means it has no eyes. It was likely a blind animal that navigated the ocean floor using its senses of smell and senses. There are four known species of Wiwaxia: Wiwaxia corrugata, Wiwaxia foliosa, Wiwaxia papilio, and Wiwaxia taijiangnsis.
© Wiwaxia corrugata from the Burgess Shale. ROM 61151 (Fig. 3G) – Mature specimen with primary spines, partial scleral lens exposing underlying tissue – Permission
Diet – What does Wiwaxia eat?
Wiwaxia was the bottom feeder for this period. Its mouth rests on its soft belly. It has two to three rows of small teeth. They are conical teeth facing backwards. Scientists believe that Wiwaxia used its teeth to scrub and feed on seafloor life.
Wiwaxia is a headless animal without any hunting skills or abilities. It was a bottom feeder, likely using its mouth and teeth to remove algae from the ocean and seafloor. It belongs to the bottom of the food chain. Its slow movement and lack of maneuverability means it may not be able to catch smaller creatures.
They were likely frequent visitors to the microbial mats at the time. In the late Cambrian, these microbial bats had to give way to new developments on the seafloor. Scientists believe that Wiwaxia disappeared around the mid-Cambrian period due to the eradication of microbial mats.
Habitat – When and Where Wiwaxia Lived
Wiwaxia is a sea animal that lived in the ocean at that time. It existed during a time when the earth was mostly water. The evolution of life during this period was dominated by marine organisms. This restriction of aquatic evolution and the Cambrian explosion introduced Wiwaxia into the oceans.
Wiwaxia can be found all over the world. This animal lives on 85% water and soil, which means room for exploration and variety. They are mainly found in the Burges Shale in British Columbia. Other important locations are the Kaili Formation in China, the Emu Bay Shale in Australia and the Buchava Formation in the Czech Republic.
Wiwaxia threats and predators
Wiwaxia is an animal without the ability to be a predator. It is a slow-moving animal without any motor skills. It has no swimming ability and no tail. Wiwaxia shows that it is the prey of all predators in the sea. It was a time when the ocean had some ferocious predators.
This period was marked by the evolution of the first top predator, the anodidae. Anomalocaris may have been a predator of Wiwaxia. The odd shrimp is a highly mobile animal. It also has mouthparts that help it overcome Wiwaxia’s defenses.
The evolutionary process also poses a threat to the animal. As the Cambrian progressed, one of Wiwaxia’s likely major food sources was eradicated. Food sources known as microbial mats give way to oxygenated seafloor where the organisms can inhabit. Scientists believe this caused Wiwaxia to become extinct before the end of the Cambrian period.
Finds and Fossils – Where Wiwaxia Was Discovered
Wiwaxia was first discovered in 1899. The first discovery was a single spike on its defensive back. In 1911, Charles Walcott Doolittle discovered more fossils in the Burgess Shale. Harry B. Wittington found more fossils on another expedition in 1966 and 1967.
At that time Wiwaxia’s business spread all over the world. Its fossils have been found in the Czech Republic, China, Canada and Australia. Its fossils have been found in different parts of the world.
Extinction – When did Wiwaxia go extinct?
Scientists believe that Wiwaxia did not exist after the mid-Cambrian period. This is because there is no trace of it, and none of its fossils are from after that period. Some scientists have linked its extinction to the lack of the most convenient food sources.
Wiwaxia also likely went extinct during the Cambrian extinction event. The end of this period marked the extinction of many species. If Wiwaxia had survived to the end of the period on another food source, it was likely wiped out by an extinction event.
Similar Animals to Wiwaxia
Wiwaxia was a unique creature of its time and so was the trend. It belongs to a class of molluscs that still exist in ecosystems today. Some animals similar to Wiwaxia are:
slug
Slugs are animals that belong to the mollusk group. They are similar to Wiwaxia, with a flat and soft underbelly. However, slugs are soft all over without any protection. They are also slow-moving creatures that live on land. They are slimy creatures that leave trails of slime as they move. There are approximately 5,000 species of slugs worldwide.
snails
Snails are mollusks with shells on their backs. Unlike Wiwaxia, they retract into the shell for protection. Their shells have no spikes and are one piece. Like many molluscs, snails are slow-moving animals. They are invertebrates that can live both in the sea and on land. There are approximately 40,000 species of snails worldwide.
Periwinkle
Periwinkle is a type of sea snail. They have a smooth shell about 1 inch long. This shell can be brown or gray. Although they are marine animals, they can live on land for days in extreme cases. They are also molluscs and leave marks of movement. There are about 80 species of periwinkle in the world.
octopus
An octopus is an eight-tentacled animal that lives in the ocean. The animal is a soft-bodied creature with clasps on its antennae that it uses to grab things. An octopus has three hearts. They can also camouflage their skin color to suit their environment. There are approximately 300 species of octopuses in the ocean.
squid
Squids are tentacled creatures like octopuses. They can also camouflage their skin. They are among the fastest swimming invertebrates in the ocean. An octopus has a round head, while a squid has a triangular head. There are about 300 species of squid in the world.
in conclusion
Wiwaxia is a strange gift of evolution to Earth. It has a very unique and rare body structure. It was like a sea slug, living in the Cambrian ocean. Wiwaxia was the prey of the predators of the day, protected only by its spiny and armored back.
Next:
Discover more secrets that evolution has to offer. Understanding the presence of ancient animals helps to better understand today’s ecosystems. We provide more articles on ancient animals and events on this site.
- Giant 3-foot-tall shrimp-jellyfish hybrid discovered 500 million years ago
- Ancient creature that hunted and ‘sucked’ prey like a shark discovered
- Ancient sea scorpion with deadly spiked tail discovered
- Meet the quadruped fish that walked land 370 million years ago
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
