The Mysterious Animal That Wandered Our Seas 500 Million Years Ago
Photo Credit (Freepik)
Researchers think they have finally solved the riddle of one of the most peculiar marine animals ever found.
Known as the “alien fish taco,”” With its large eyes, taco-shaped shell, and tail that mimics a submarine rudder, Odaraia is a prehistoric anomaly. Odaraia may have a strange appearance, but a recent study has shown that it is significant since it is among the earliest ancestors of most modern animal species.
The animal lived in the oceans of Earth 500 million years ago, but it wasn’t until recently—thanks to Alejandro Izquierdo-López, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Toronto—that we were able to comprehend its peculiar biology.
“Odaraia is classified as an arthropod,” says Izquierdo-López. It’s not all that dissimilar from a contemporary shrimp or crab. It possessed a lengthy body with about thirty pairs of legs, big eyes, and mandibles. One notable characteristic is its tail, which resembles a shark’s or a submarine’s rudder.””
Odaraia’s distinctive carapace, or shell, which encases half of its body like a tube and gave rise to the moniker “taco,” adds to the mystery. Odaraia is not a fish, despite her name. Though some may be misled by its fish-like tail, this species is actually from a very different evolutionary branch.
Apart from nicknames, scientists have been perplexed by Odaraia’s categorization for decades. However, palaeontologists have been able to identify Odaraia as a mandibulate—classifying it among animals that include species as diverse as shrimps, centipedes, and insects—thanks to the recent discovery of mandibles on its fossils.
The study, which examined 150 fossils gathered between 1975 and 2000, represents a significant advancement in our knowledge of the organism’s position on the tree of life. The Burgess Shale, a well-known fossil site in British Columbia, Canada, is where these fossils were initially discovered in the 1910s.
“This classification holds significance,” Izquierdo-López asserts. “Mandibulates comprise most of the animal species that exist on Earth today. We can learn more about how Odaraia originated and the reasons behind their long-term success by researching them.””
Additionally, the research clarifies Odaraia’s actions. The species most likely hunts in packs, using its enormous eyes to spot small prey swimming close by. After capturing the meal with its spiky legs, it would bring it to its mouth, where its mandibles would rip it apart.
Numerous similar animals lived in the tropical waters of the Burgess Shale, with the majority of them restricted to the seafloor. But according to Izquierdo-López, Odaraia was able to swim and move freely in the water column, which may have contributed to its success in its day.
Even though Odaraia’s peculiar combination of traits seems foreign to us now, it provides an important link to the distant past and illuminates the animal kingdom’s evolutionary path.
