This weird ancient worm has hairy legs and spiky armor. (Photo : University of Cambridge)
About 500 million years ago, a strange, monster-like, spiky creature roamed the seas of China where it used its delicate front limbs to filter food underwater.
On Monday, scientists revealed a new discovery that involves ancient fossils of this bizarre animal in the Yunnan province.
This animal called the Collinsium ciliosum have thrived during the Cambrian period during a time when evolution jumpstarted and produced many unusual creatures which also disappeared.
According to Javier Ortega-Hernandez from the University of Cambridge, the Collinsium is a bizarre looking creature, so strange that if someone sees this during a snorkeling or diving trip today, this would surely come as a shocking sight.
According to Xi-Guang Zhang from the Yunnan University located in Kunming, China, its appearance can be quite startling but some might describe it as a "handsome beast" with its unique appearance.
Its scientific name translates to "hairy Collins monster" from the hair like structures protruding from its front part of this bizarre ancient animal and also in honor of Canadian paleontologist Desmond Collins who first thought of this kind of creature decades ago.
According to Ortega-Hernandez, the Collinsium lived some 515 million to 518 million years ago which is also the distant ancestor of the modern day velvet worms that dwell in tropical forests.
This creature measures up to four inches and possesses 72 sharp spikes covering its back in order to protect itself from predators which is also considered to be one of the earliest soft animals to have some sort of armor.
It is also a close relative of another bizarre Cambrian creature called the Hallucigenia.
This study is published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
