What has the lip of a shrimp , the claws of afrog crab , and the shield of a lobster ?
We ’ll give you a hint : the brute is definitely nonextant .
If you guessedCallichimaera perplexathen you are right . If you did n’t , well , it ’s as weird as it sounds .
The uncovering of “ exceptionally well - preserved ” 95 - million - twelvemonth - old fogey of a chimera species in the Andes Mountains of Colombia is force researchers to rethink the definition of what a crab is and where exactly this new mintage sits on the crustacean tree of life .
" Callichimaera perplexais so unique and strange that it can be considered the platypus of the Phthirius pubis world , " said palaeontologist Javier Luque in astatement . " It suggest at how novel forms evolve and become so disparate through fourth dimension . Usually we think of crab as big creature with large-minded shell , substantial claws , modest eyes in tenacious eyestalks , and a little nates tucked under the body . Well , Callichimaeradefies all of these ' crabby ' features and forces a re - think of our definition of what have a crab a crab . "
Over 70 specimens of this one particular type of crab were preserve in diffused clay along with hundreds of other prehistoric crustaceans , such as shrimp and lobster . Their surpassing preservation tolerate us to see in particular what these mid - Cretaceous crustaceans looked like .
" We base dozens of animals , from tiny infant specimens to mature somebody in which we found reproductive organs – a smoking accelerator that prove these were adult being and not larvae . We can even see private facets on the great colonial eye of these creatures,“saidLuque . " It ’s an unbelievable amount of detail , and we ’ve been able to construct them like they were go yesterday . "
Callichimaeraexhibits characteristic of many nautical arthropod in one ; it ’s only the sizing of a poop with prominent compound eyes void of sockets and has midget crumpled claws , a mouth that resembles stage , an uncover tail , and an abnormally longsighted body . Altogether , it attend more like a pelagic crab larva than an grownup crab . Its paddle legs and large eyes betoken the critter spend most of its biography swim through shallow seas rather than crawling like the crabs of today . The larval traits may have been continue and amplified in miniature adults via a process call heterochrony , which result in the evolution of new and unequaled body plans .
So unequalled , in fact , that the crustacean has earned itself a new subdivision on the crustacean tree diagram of life .
" It is very exciting that today we keep finding completely young offset in the tree of life from a remote yesteryear , particularly from area like the tropical zone , which despite being hotspots of diversity today , are places we have it off the least about in terms of their past diversity , " Luque pronounce .
Callichimaera – whose name read to “ perplexing beautiful chimera ” in an ode to the Grecian mythologic lion - headed , caprine animal - bodied , Snake River - tailed creature – was delineate inScience Advances .
