evolution Archives - The Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation

Eximipriapulus, a type of Priaulid (Priapulan) worm that lived approximately 500 million years ago occupying the shell of a deceased creature. Priapulids (Priapulans) are still around today and are commonly called "penis worms". Credit: Zhang Xiguang

Ancient Squatters: Hermit Behavior in Cambrian “Penis worms” (Priapulids)

Hugh / April 26, 2024 / cambrian explosion, evolution

Move over, hermit crabs! A 2021 paper published in the journal Current Biology suggests similar shell-occupying behavior in an unexpected source: Cambrian priapulid (priapulan) worms, also known as “penis worms” due to their gross morphology (overall shape of the organism) bearing a remarkable similarity to the human penis. World class quality “penis worm” fossils can be found at the Walcott […]

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Olenoides. © Royal Ontario Museum. Photo Jean-Bernard Caron

Trilobite sex

Hugh / June 23, 2022 / evolution, trilobite

Trilobite species Olenoides serratus, has been well studied since 1909 and is one of the most fully understood trilobites in the fossil record, due to the exceptional preservation of soft tissues (labile tissue) at the Burgess Shale. Now after over 100 years of studying the species, and half a billion years since its extinction, scientists

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Ecological reconstruction of Kylinxia zhangi. (Artwork by D.-Y. Huang & H. Zeng)

Five-eyes!? Kylinxia zhangi, a new Opabinia-like fossil

Hugh / December 3, 2020 / Cambrian, evolution

Kylinxia zhangi is a newly described euarthropod with five-eyes. It is was discovered in a Cambrian aged deposit in Chengjiang, China, and was recently described in the journal Nature. Kylinxia looks remarkably like a cross between two Burgess Shale animals, Opabinia regalis and Anomalocaris canadensis. The Burgess Shale is currently dated to 506 million years

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Illustation: Z.H. YAO & D.J. FU. Artists rendering of the Qingjiang biota showing characteristic early Cambrian taxa from the Lagerstatte

Tropical Fossils: The Burgess Shale Is Not Alone!

Hugh / November 15, 2020 / Cambrian, evolution

Tropical Fossils? The Burgess Shale fossils are found in the Canadian Rockies at a latitude of 51 North. However, the fossilized animals lived and died in the tropics. This change in latitude over time is the result of the slow action of Plate Tectonics. For the last 508 Million years the North America plate has

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The Cambrian Explosion and the Burgess Shale

Hugh / May 30, 2019 / Cambrian, cambrian explosion, evolution, trilobite

Cambrian Explosion The early Cambrian period marks one of the most spectacular evolutionary events in the history of life – The Cambrian Explosion. This was an explosion of life. Within ten million years, a very short period geologically, a host of hard-body and soft-body animals appeared in the fossil record. Trilobites, molluscs, chordates, cnidarians, brachiopods and

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A Geoscience Guide to the Burgess Shale, Cover

Burgess Shale Books: Where can I find more information on the Burgess Shale?

Hugh / May 2, 2019 / cambrian explosion, evolution

If you are booked to come on one of our hikes or are just interested in the Burgess Shale, here are some great Burgess Shale books to help you learn more. A Geoscience Guide to the Burgess Shale – This easy-to-read illustrated guide immerses the reader in the history, geology, environment and, most importantly, the

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Leanchoilia an arthropod, from the Qingjiang fossil site

Qingjiang biota: A Burgess Shale type deposit in China

Hugh / April 3, 2019 / cambrian explosion, evolution

The Qingjiang biota, a newly discovered fossil site in China, is a treasure trove for paleontologists studying the Cambrian explosion, when life on Earth suddenly and massively expanded in diversity about 500 million years ago. More than 2,000 specimens were found at the 518 million-year-old site, and half of those specimens represent species of animals that

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Royal Ontario Museum Curator Jean-Bernard Caron in Kootenay National Park holding a newly discovered Burgess Shale fossil dubbed the 'Mothership'. Photography by John Lehmann

Some of Earth’s first animals—including a mysterious, alien-looking spaceship—are spilling out of Canadian rocks

Hugh / November 30, 2018 / evolution, Rocky Mountains

Science magazine just published a great article about some of the newest Burgess Shale fossil finds in Kootenay National Park. In the above photo Jean-Bernard Caron shows off the “mothership,” an enigmatic Cambrian life form his team found this past summer. Click this link to go to the original article.

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Hiker entering the closed area of the Burgess Shale Walcott Quarry

World Heritage Status and the Protection of Burgess Shale Fossils

Hugh / November 22, 2018 / evolution, Rocky Mountains, Yoho National Park

In 1984, UNESCO included the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (CRMPs) on its World Heritage List. This property consists of the following national parks: Yoho, Banff, Kootenay, and Jasper. As well as, the following provincial parks Mt. Robson, Hamber, and Mt. Assiniboine. The site encompasses a contiguous area that is 2,299,104 hectares in size. For a property

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evolution