Protopriapulites
sp
Phylum Priapulida
Geological
Time: Early Cambrian (~525 million years ago)
Size (25.4mm
= 1 inch): 12 mm long by 4 mm across on a 85 mm by 65 mm matrix
Fossil
Site: Chengjiang - Quiongzhusi Section, Yu’anshan Member, Heilinpu
Formation, Mafang Village, Anning, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
Fossil Code:
CJF907
Price: $195.00
- sold
 Description:
This is one of the more rare members of the Priapulida is known
as Protopriapulites. While some consider it the same as Sicyophorus
rarus, I have never seen an example of that taxon that was either
this large
or possess the everted proboscis seen here. The diversity of soft-tissue
fossils is astonishing: algae, medusiforms, sponges, priapulids,
annelid-like worms, echinoderms, arthropods (including trilobites),
hemichordates, chordates, and the first agnathan fish make up just
a small fraction of the total. Numerous problematic forms are known
as well, some of which may have represented failed attempts at diversity
that did not persist to the present day.
The
priapulids are a group of non-segmented worms whose modern-day examples
can reach 30 cm in length, and live in both shallow and deep marine
sands as carnivores. I’ve included an artist’s (my daughter’s)
rendition of it in life pose.
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