Recent short articles in both Science Daily (Fossil Fragments Reveal 500-Year-Old Monster Predator) and New Scientist (Jigsaw Complete for Ancient Predator) have focused on the “apex predator” of the Cambrian food chain, the ancestral arthropod Hurdia victoria. This ancient invertebrate carnivore was unearthed long ago from the Burgess Shale formation of British Columbia, but has only recently received proper recognition of its structure and nature.
If you’ve never before read the fascinating story of the Burgess shale, Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History is an absolute must read. It’s one of Gould’s many astounding excursions into the amazing realm of natural history.
