Mary’s Monday Metazoan: Opa!

17 comments

Skip to comment form ↓

1. 1
   

   cm's changeable moniker

   18 February 2013 at 7:19 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   At university, I was lectured to by Simon Conway-Morris.

   You know about Hallucigenia?

   The whole course was like that.

2. 2
   

   Nepenthe

   18 February 2013 at 7:53 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   cm’s changeable moniker, this is me being ridiculously jealous of you: :-|

   Also, Opabinia. What the fuck is that? Seriously evolution, have some standards.

3. 3
   

   shouldbeworking

   18 February 2013 at 8:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   Hallucigenia and Anomalocaris rule! The Ordovician was full of Johnny-come-latelys.

4. 4
   

   Amphigorey

   18 February 2013 at 8:28 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   Opa Burgess style!!

   *dances madly*

5. 5
   

   yubal

   18 February 2013 at 9:33 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   It was always a big pleasure to see all the anomalocaris reconstructions that came up during the years.

6. 6
   

   cyberCMDR

   18 February 2013 at 9:39 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   I’d love to see what classification or “kind” Ken Ham would say that was, and where examples of it exist today. He can’t say they all drowned in the flood….

7. 7
   

   biobengal

   18 February 2013 at 9:48 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   I’m using Zimmer’s (& Emlen’s) text to teach Evolution on my maiden voyage into college instruction.

   Of course, like any liberal, academic scum… I used the first lecture to tell my students their parents are full of it, God never existed and Jesus is dead. Good times. ;)

8. 8
   

   Genius Loci

   18 February 2013 at 11:21 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   That’s not a Tully monster by any chance, is it? That’s what the proboscis makes me think of, but I thought it was soft-bodied, no exoskeleton.

9. 9
   

   Tethys

   18 February 2013 at 11:44 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

   The pictures at the link are fantastic! Herpetogaster is bizarre. Banffia looks somewhat like a tadpole.
   Myllokunmingia is completely new to me. oooo so sniny!

10. 10
    

    thumper1990

    19 February 2013 at 4:08 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    Aw, it’s got a mouth like something out of Alien. That is well boss :)

11. 11
    

    AussieMike

    19 February 2013 at 4:56 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    But does he have one of these? PZ’s next birthday present.
    http://mashable.com/2013/02/12/tentacle-usb/

12. 12
    

    Nepenthe

    19 February 2013 at 7:41 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    @Genius Loci

    Opabinia is also soft bodied, though it looks armored in the pictures, the flaps were soft. But it’s from the Carboniferous period, lots and lots later. You’re definitely not the only one to have pointed out the similarities, but Tullimonstrum (no, not making that up) is, as far as I know, still firmly in phylum Whatthehella.

    Maybe someone who is not merely an enthused amateur like myself could expound.

13. 13
    

    brucecoppola

    19 February 2013 at 11:15 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    By and by the links took me to the Royal Ontario Museum site – which reminded me that it’s been too long since I visited TO and the ROM.

14. 14
    

    brucecoppola

    19 February 2013 at 11:17 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    #6: Satan put the fossils there to fool us, silly!

15. 15
    

    Nepenthe

    19 February 2013 at 3:28 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    That should read something like “Tullimonstrum is from the Carboniferous…”

16. 16
    

    Alex the Pretty Good

    20 February 2013 at 3:23 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    Heh … for the Dutch-speaking amongst us, the post’s title has an un-intended second meaning.

    “Opa” in Dutch means “Grandpa”.

17. 17
    

    StevoR : Free West Papua, free Tibet, let the Chagossians return!

    21 February 2013 at 3:03 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

    @ ^ Alex the Pretty Good :

    Unintended or knowing? Wouldn’t be surprised if PZ knew and meant that.

    &&&&&&&&

    Hey, go look: Carl Zimmer has a gallery of Cambrian beasties!

    I did and second that advice. Great site there and shared. Cheers PZ!