#waptia

[ravewing]

sick and tired of inaccurate anomalocaris paleoart ,, decided to take matters into my own hands

[newlabdakos]

Waptia fieldensis

(temporal range: 510-505 mio. years ago)

[text from the Wikipedia article, see also link above]

Waptia is an extinct genus of arthropod from the Middle Cambrian of North America. It grew to a length of 6.65 cm (3 in), and had a large bivalved carapace and a segmented body terminating into a pair of tail flaps. It was an active swimmer and likely a predator of soft-bodied prey. It is also one of the oldest animals with direct evidence of brood care. Waptia fieldensis is the only species classified under the genus Waptia, and is known from the Burgess Shale Lagerstätte of British Columbia, Canada. Specimens of Waptia are also known from the Spence Shale of Utah, United States.

Based on the number of individuals, Waptia fieldensis is the third most abundant arthropod from the Burgess Shale Formation, with thousands of specimens collected. It was among the first fossils found by the American paleontologist Charles D. Walcott in 1909. He described it in 1912 and named it after two mountains near the discovery site – Wapta Mountain and Mount Field, other specimens

Although it bears a remarkable resemblance to modern crustaceans, its taxonomic affinities were long unclear. A comprehensive redescription published 2018 classified it a member of Hymenocarina (which contains numerous other bivalved arthropods) within Mandibulata.

[parakaryote]

[Image description: An art piece of four Cambrian arthropods — Anomalocaris, Aegirocassis, Waptia, and Opabinia — stylized similarly to Littlest Pet Shop toys, with bright colours, rounded shiny shapes, and large eyes with highlights.

The Anomalocaris is purple with little star markings, and has teal eyes with heart-shaped highlights. The Aegirocassis is pink with little heart markings, and has orange eyes (only one visible) with a star-shaped highlight. The Waptia is orange with crescent markings, and has teal eyes with four-petal flower-shaped highlights. Finally, the Opabinia is teal with four-petal flower markings, and has purple eyes with crescent highlights.

The words “CAMBRIAN CUTIES” are written above them in shiny teal and pink letters. In smaller white letters to the upper left and lower right is a tagline: “Collect Em All… …Before They’re Gone!”

End ID.]

Remember these guys? I had the whole collection back in 538 Million BC 💜🦑

[rattus-viridis]

Cambrian wallpapers, just for fun! Who doesnt like like dinosaur shrimps?

[dead-set-goat]

for the doodle requests - some creatures from the Cambrian explosion!

Cambrian queers -the big anomalicaris, she’s Karen.

[afieldguidetoprehistoriclife]

A FIELD GUIDE TO CAMBRIAN FAUNA is part of a series of zines about prehistoric life. A mix of illustration, speculation and science, this second volume contains 50+ pages as well as 20 full-color illustrations.

How you can support the project:

Purchase the 1st volume here! (limited supply)

Reblog/like/spread the word!

[cicadaplanet-blog]

This taco is called Waptia. I liked my practice version better than the final, but WHAT CAN YA DO. 

[statecryptids]

Opabinia and Anomalocaris looking festive for the holidays. And a school of Waptia doing their impression of a string of Christmas lights.

Available as a print and cards on my Redbubble shop:

[smylealong]

Last post on the series “Life Finds a Way,” this post has creatures   from the letters W to Z + bonus. The rest of the series can be seen here: Part  1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

 1. Wiwaxia (Top left) Genus*: Wiwaxia. Time: Cambrian- Ordovician (520-505 mya). Length: 5 centimetres (2.0 in). Weight: Since most animals from this era were soft bodied creatures with a chitinous/carbonaceous protection, all we have in fossil records are just imprints left on the rocks. It is very difficult to estimate the weight of these creatures.

2. Waptia (Top right) Genus: Waptia. Time: Middle Cambrian (509-497 mya). Length: 8 centimetres (3.1 in). Weight: Look above.

3. Xiphactinus (Bottom left) Genus: Bony predatory fish. Time: Early to late Cretaceous (112-66mya). Length: 5.1 metres (16.7 ft). Weight: Approx 1000lbs (453.5kgs)

4. Xuwulong (Bottom right) Genus: hadrosauroid dinosaur. Time: Early Cretaceous (145-100.5mya). Size: Since the creature is known from an incomplete holotype** specimen, size estimates are unavailable.

1. Yawunik (Top left): Genus: Arthropod. Time: Cambrian Period (508mya). Size: Data not available. 

2. Yinlong (Top right): Genus: Balas Ceratopsian. Time: Late Jurassic (158mya). Length:  1.2 metres (3.9 ft). Weight: 15 kilograms (33 lb)

3. Zygosaurus (Bottom left): Genus: dissorophid temnospondyl. Time: Middle Permian (272.3-259 .8mya).  Size: Since it is known from a holotype specimen, the size estimates are unavailable. However, the skull, which is 20cm long, indicates that this maybe one of the largest dissorophid.

4. Zuul (Bottom right): (This is the dinosaur, not the monster from Ghostbusters). Genus: ankylosaurine dinosaur. Time: Late Cretaceous (75mya)  Length:  6 metres (20 ft) Weight of 2.5 tonnes (5,500 lb)

BONUS:

I realized a couple of days ago, that even though I have included the oldest known lifeform (Stromatolites) in the series, I have stayed mostly in the time period known as Phanerozoic eon, which starts from the Cambrian and extends till today, i.e. (541mya- current date). I have not given any information about a very interesting phase of life in that existed in the Proterozoic eon (2500mya-541mya). While for the most part, the planet was cooling down, there was a time near the end of the eon, known as the Ediacaran (635-541mya) , where strange, complex life forms began to appear. They are collectively known as the Ediacaran Biota. These were composed of enigmatic tubular and frond-shaped, mostly sessile***, organisms. Trace fossils of these organisms have been found worldwide, and represent the earliest known complex multicellular organisms.

* Genus:  A  genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological   classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses,in   biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes   above species and below family. 

**Holotype: A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described.

***Sessile: Sessility is the biological property of an organism describing its lack of a means of self-locomotion.

Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

[theropoda]

We didn't start the fire prehistory: (I don't know enough dinosaur names I'm so sorry I'm such a fake fan) we didn't start the fire

stromatolites trilobites wiwaxia opabinia burgess shale what the hale anomalocaris plenocaris naraoia waptia WE DIDNT START THE CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION

[cephalopodie]

[Image Description: Three screenshots from Spore of arthropods from the Cambrian period. The first is an orange aggania/peytoia. It has a small, cylindrical body ending in a pint at the back. It has two sharp pincer like appendages coming from the front, and an eye on either side of its body. It also has fan-like lobes on the side of its body.

The second image is of a blue opabinia. It has a long segmented body ending in a fan tail, with fan-like lobes on the side of its body. It has five eyes on the front of its head, and a proboscus below its head.

The third image is of a beige waptia. It looks very similar to a modern shrimp. /End ID]

peace and love on earth 

[rattus-viridis]

Im pretty sure I got possessed by the ghost of an anomalocaris last night and I couldnt sleep until I made this pattern so, enjoy,,, some,.,, cambrian shrimps

[objecteiespai]

Biomimicry

Cuaderno de campo

de Charles D. Walcott (del 31 de agosto al 3 de septiembre de 1909) detallando el descubrimiento de los fósiles del

Esquisto de Burgess

. Hay tres artrópodos dibujados en la entrada del 31 de agosto –

Marrella, Waptia y Naraoia [16] http://recursos.normalpopayan.edu.co:8983/wikipedia_es_all_2017-08/A/Waptia.html

https://www.wikiwand.com/ja/%E3%83%AF%E3%83%97%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%82%A2

https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilobits

via https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/early-life-earth-animal-origins

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/paleobiology

https://www.livescience.com/50458-oldest-neanderthal-dna-found.html

Por primera vez se ha recuperado material proteínico de una especie humana que vivió en Europa hace unos 800.000 años #HomoAntecessor

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2153-8.epdf

https://twitter.com/nature/status/1245684159554695169

https://objecteiespai.tumblr.com/post/612151877718704128/organoge-residus-part-s%C3%B2lida-ossos-part

[alphynix]

Synophalos xynos, a shrimp-like arthropod from the Early Cambrian of China (~515 mya). Thought to be closely related to stem-crustaceans like Waptia, it was about 2cm long (0.75″) and had a bivalved carapace with a segmented body ending in a forked tail.

Unlike any other known arthropods, however, it formed long “conga line” chains of up to twenty individuals, with the tail of each animal locking securely into the shell of the next. The function of the these chains is unknown, although suggestions include some sort of mating behavior, migration, or defense against predators.

Only one specimen was found completely on its own, and its slightly longer carapace suggests it may represent a different solitary life stage of these strange little creatures.

[wyvern-tales]

Anomalocaris breaks me every damn time.

He is most definitely a popular kid who kinda sorta got forced into the role by society, and is actually super Awkward when you go to talk to him. Anomalocaris runs track, acts like a stereotypical jock with a soft spot, and is good friends with Opabinia and Wiwaxia, who he's known since middle school. Anomalocaris has a scarily high number of unwanted admirers, which he avoids with tragic desperation.

Opabinia and Wiwaxia are nice enough to help Anomalocaris deal with the problems and stress that come with being popular and having to live up to the Expected Cool Guy persona, while having two very obnoxious and heavily shipped persons after you. Anomalocaris hates attention from people he doesn't know, so the whole situation is a nightmare.

Opabinia is the school nerd, but doesn't get bullied for it, since he's been blessed with the natural ability to be both smooth and level-headed in most situations. He's the president of the student council and edits the school newspaper, the Arthropod Annual, as well as helps Anomalocaris with his schoolwork when he has the time. He dresses neat (if a little strange) and does lots of nerd stuff (like playing in and running a Shale and Scorpions club), but generally avoids the stereotype best he can (ex: see that hairstyle. Beautiful).

As for Wiwaxia, well, he's a different story. He and Anomalocaris knew each other since they were 10, but only really became friends in the 8th grade. Wiwaxia (everyone calls him Wax) is lazy, snappy, overly sarcastic about most everything, and almost got held back and expelled 4 times in a row. He's really only tolerated because of his friendship with Anomalocaris. All the teachers and upperclassmen hate him, and the freshman are generally terrified of his presence. Wiwaxia's not evil, he just gets a mean streak sometimes and it doesn't take a lot of button-pushing to set him off.

Anomalocaris likes to drag Opabinia and Wiwaxia to various close-friends-only hangouts and beach days, while at the same time avoiding Marrella (the school playboy and romance writer for the newspaper) and Hallucigenia (soccar team captain, basically the school hothead/bully despite being shorter than two-thirds the student body).

Marrella he avoids bcuz the guys a huge player and will fuck anything that moves. He and Anomalocaris are basically the school's number one ship, since they got involved in an awkward incident involving the accidental switching of Anomalocaris's track suit and Marrella's crop-top, which caused massive drama. Anomalocaris hates it since he's 100% straight (he's dating Tamiscolaris, she's a full half-foot taller than him and absolutely destroys it on the basketball court) but Marrella doesn't know when to take a hint, so he's actually really into it and plays along with the school shippers.

Hallucigenia he avoids bcuz honestly? Dudes a dick. Like, a huge dick. Hallucigenia knows all the insecurities, all the family and mental problems, and he's not afraid to use them against you. Even worse, he seems to think everyone (Anomalocaris especially) looks down on him, so making eye contact with this angry fella is basically a death wish. His hatred of Anomalocaris started when the former accidentally mistook him for Opabinia's younger brother Waptia, who was known for dealing and using drugs on a daily basis. Hallucigenia took massive offense, and from that day on, he's had a grudge against Anomalocaris ever since.

jeez what the heck am i doing with my life

I love the Cambrian Period <3 So i did gijinkas

[typhlonectes]

The oldest evidence for brood care in the fossil record comes from a specimen of Waptia fieldensis, an early arthropod relative of shrimp and lobsters. Waptia lived in what is now known as the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in Canada, which is dated to the Cambrian period – around 500 million years ago.

In 2015, five specimens of Waptia were found containing up to 24 eggs each. The eggs were relatively big: an average diameter of 2mm compared to the 8cm of the mother’s body length. This is an example of what scientists call “K-selection strategy of reproduction,” which means that Waptia laid relatively small clutches of eggs for an invertebrate, taking care of them for an extended period of time instead of leaving the offspring to fend for themselves.

Just like most arthropods, this early creature had a segmented body. The first segment, which protected its head, was split into two parts – what is known as a “bivalved carapace.” It was within this carapace, attached to the inner surface, that the animal kept its eggs...