Slug, Armored Slug Reveals Ancestry of Mollusks
A new species of Mollusk has been discovered! This breakthrough in scientific research gives us a glimpse into the evolution of Mollusks. The armored slug seems to be the most primitive relative to Chitons, and dates back to the earliest of Molusks (around 485-470 million years ago). The new species, Calvapilosa Kroegeri, lived during the early Ordovician period.
A pretty great discovery in my opinion! I find it absolutely fascinating that we can look back at the fossil record and connect the dots between then and now. What I would love to know more of, however, is how this fossil relates to other Molusks besides Chiton. I would especially love to see the oldest common ancestor shared between all Molusks.
Here's food for thought: What do you think a common ancestor of all Molusks would look like?
Source:
University of Bristol. (2017, February 6). Spiny, armored slug reveals ancestry of molluscs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 8, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206111800.htm
Truly mind boggling! I am curious about the same thing. The fossil record is interesting because we can follow the transformation of organisms such as this. And I can only imagine what all the mollusks combined would look like, without a doubt would be quite the sight!
ReplyDeleteI agree this discovery is incredible. How did they discover it? did they find a fossil or some other type of evidence? Its pretty cool how we are learning more about the past everyday
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