Ancient sea monsters lived without been discovered for millions of years
May 26th, 2011 - 10:47 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattNew York, May 26 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Scientists have discovered that they underestimated the size of some ancient monsters. The researchers say the animals also lived much longer than they initially thought.
For years scientists have known that those ancient sea monsters were big but they have realized that they were much bigger than they thought. It is believed that anomalocaridids were on the top of the food chain in the ancient sea. They could grow to reach up to six feet.
It is estimated that the anomalocaridids lived in the seas between 542 million and 501 million years ago. However new evidence suggest that the animals lived between 488 million to 472 million years ago. That means the creatures lived much longer than scientists initially thought. For the first time, scientists have seen a fossil of an anomalocaridids which measures about 3 feet. The fossil was discovered by a fossil collector in Morocco.
A paleobiologist at Ghent University in Belgium, Peter Van Roy was convinced with the fossil. He said that, “The Moroccan specimens are the largest anomalocaridids known to date — they are about double the size of their Cambrian counterparts… There have been suggestions of Cambrian anomalocaridids of over 6 feet in length, but these estimates are extrapolations from very fragmentary material, and hence not too reliable.”
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Tags: 3 feet, ancient sea, cambrian, counterparts, creatures, estimates, extrapolations, fossil collector, ghent university, million years, moroccan, morocco, new evidence, peter van roy, sea monsters, six feet, specimens, time scientists, top of the food chain, university in belgium