Fossils of a three-eyed predator that lived 500 million years ago have been found

It became known that paleontologists from the Museum of Manitoba and the Royal Ontario Museum found a fossil of a predatory creature that lived 506 million years ago.

The creature was named Mosura fentoni. It had three eyes, a round mouth dotted with teeth and claws, and was the size of an index finger.

The species was attributed to radiosonde – extinct inhabitants of ancient oceans. It is believed that from them originated modern arthropods. About it reports Popular Science.

But Mosura fentoni had a peculiarity atypical for its relatives: the body region, similar to the abdomen, at the hind end consisted of many segments. The gills were also located at the rear of the body.

Scientists have not been able to determine what this peculiarity is associated with. Perhaps it is related to habitat or special behavioral traits.

Paleontologists called Mosura fentoni “sea butterfly” because of the distant resemblance to a moth.

The study authors pointed out that the radiodonts were the first group of arthropods to split into branches of the evolutionary tree.

The fossil was preserved so well that scientists were able to study the details of the internal anatomy: elements of the nervous system, circulatory system, and digestive tract.

Instead of arteries and veins, Mosura fentoni had an open circulatory system. The heart pumped blood into large internal body cavities, the lacunae.