News / Science
‘Giant’ worms dating back 518 million years discovered by Bristol Uni scientist
A scientist from the University of Bristol is part of a study that has identified a new species of worm in northern Greenland.
Named Timorebestia, meaning “terror beasts” in Latin, the ancient predatory worms are entirely new to science and maybe some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonised the water column more than 518 million years ago.
The discovery is said to reveal new insights into a curious group of predatory worms that are still alive today.
is needed now More than ever
Arrow worms today are relatively small animals ranging from about 3mm to 1cm, but their newly discovered relatives were comparative monsters at around 30cm.
With fins, a distinct head with long antennae, and massive jaw structures inside their mouth, the peculiar-looking critters were some of the largest swimming animals in the Early Cambrian times.
A fossil of Timorebestia koprii – image: Jakob Vinther
Dr Jakob Vinther, from Bristol Uni’s School of Earth Sciences and a senior author on the study, said the research uncovers new facts about ancient ocean ecosystems.
“We have previously known that primitive arthropods were the dominant predators during the Cambrian, such as the bizarre-looking anomalocaridids,” he said.
“However, Timorebestia is a distant, but close, relative of living arrow worms, or chaetognaths. These are much smaller ocean predators today that feed on tiny zooplankton.
“Our research shows that these ancient ocean ecosystems were fairly complex with a food chain that allowed for several tiers of predators.
“Timorebestia were giants of their day and would have been close to the top of the food chain. That makes it equivalent in importance to some of the top carnivores in modern oceans, such as sharks and seals back in the Cambrian period.”
Inside the fossilised digestive system of Timorebestia, the researchers found remains of a common, swimming arthropod called Isoxys.
“We can see these arthropods were a food source for many other animals,” said Morten Lunde Nielsen, a former PhD student at Bristol and part of the current study.
“They are very common at Sirius Passet and had long protective spines, pointing both forwards and backwards.
“However, they clearly didn’t completely succeed in avoiding that fate, because Timorebestia munched on them in great quantities.”
Tae Yoon Park from the Korean Polar Research Institute, senior author and field expedition leader, said the discovery firms up how arrow worms evolved.
“We are very excited to have discovered such unique predators in Sirius Passet,” he said.
“Over a series of expeditions to the very remote Sirius Passet in the furthest reaches of North Greenland more than 82,5˚ north, we have collected a great diversity of exciting new organisms.
“Thanks to the remarkable, exceptional preservation in Sirius Passet we can also reveal exciting anatomical details including their digestive system, muscle anatomy, and nervous systems.”
To read the full paper, visit www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adi6678
Main photo: Jakob Vinther
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
