Latest news with #JosephMoysiuk
Observer
27-05-2025
- Science
- Observer
This Fossil's 3 Eyes Are Not Its Most Surprising Feature
More than 500 million years before 'The Simpsons' introduced us to Blinky, a fish with an extra eye swimming through Springfield's Old Fishin' Hole, a three-eyed predator chased prey through seas of the Cambrian Period. Known as Mosura fentoni, this creature is a worthy addition to the bizarre bestiary preserved in the Burgess Shale, a fossil deposit in the Canadian Rockies. But the animal's anatomy, described in the journal Royal Society Open Science, shows it may not be as alien as it looks. The first Mosura specimen was unearthed by a paleontologist more than a century ago. Over recent decades, paleontologists at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto have uncovered many more Mosura fossils, which they nicknamed 'sea moths' because of flaps that help them swim. Sea moths were not fish, but they were related to radiodonts, a group of arthropods that dominated Cambrian food chains. But a closer inspection would not occur until Mosura specimens were unearthed in 2012 in a Burgess Shale outcrop. Having both old and new specimens encouraged researchers to 'finally figure this animal out,' said Joseph Moysiuk, who studied the Marble Canyon fossils as a doctoral student. Moysiuk teamed up with his adviser at the Royal Ontario Museum, Jean-Bernard Caron, to examine 60 sea moth specimens. The specimens were photographed under polarized light to capture the flattened fossils' detailed anatomy. A defining feature of living arthropods is the division of their bodies into specialized parts. For example, crustaceans like crabs have different appendages adapted to perform certain functions like feeding or walking. Fossils of many early arthropod ancestors reveal relatively simple body plans. Researchers have therefore long proposed that segmentation took a long time to evolve. Mosura bucks this trend. Despite measuring only 2.5 inches long, the creature's body was divided into as many as 26 segments. 'It's something that we've never seen in this group of animals before,' said Moysiuk, who is now at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg. In addition to its wide swimming flaps, the animal possessed a highly segmented trunk at the back of its body brimming with gills, resembling the abdomenlike structures that horseshoe crabs, woodlice and some insects use to breathe. — JACK TAMISIEA / NYT
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Meet the 'sea moth,' a three-eyed sea creature from 500+ million years ago
Scientists have discovered a three-eyed "sea moth" that dates back more than half a billion years ago. Paleontologists Joseph Moysiuk and Jean-Bernard Caron published a study an Wednesday, May 14 that introduces their findings of Mosura fentoni, a new type of radiodont that existed more than 500 million years ago. The "sea moth"-like species caught researchers' attention because of its third, median eye. Scientists named the newly-discovered species "Mosura fentoni," after the fictional Japanese monster kaiju, also known as "Mothra," for its moth-like appearance, the study states. Here's what to know about the newly-discovered deep sea creature. The newly-discovered Mosura fentoni specimen is only about 15 to 61 millimeters long (0.6 to 2.4 inches). The "sea moth" features a short head; small, rounded exoskeleton; three prominent eyes; appendages; large swimming flaps; and densely-packed gills, according to the study. The Mosura fentoni lived during the Cambrian Explosion, which began about 541 million years ago. The Mosura fentoni was a radiodont, a type of arthropod that lived between 520 to 400 million years ago, according to the United Kingdom's Natural History Museum. A popularly known radiodont is Anomalocaris, thought to be one of the first apex predators. Paleontologists believe Mosura fentoni hunted small prey, like shrimp, to avoid competing with other radiodonts in its ecosystem, according to the U.K. Natural History Museum. Mosura fentoni would have used rows of paddle-like fins to glide through the ocean and then use hook-like segments of its feeding appendages to grab small pray and move them through its mouth. While paleontologists are still learning why Mosura fentoni had a third eye, researchers believe the eye may have been used to detect light and the seascape it moved through. Perhaps Mosura fentoni's median eye was similar to that of a dragonfly's extra eyes (yes, dragonflies have five eyes), used to orient themselves during high-speed hunts, according to the U.K. Natural History Museum. A feature of the specimen that has particularly intrigued researchers is its dark, reflective patches, which are called "tonguelettes." Though these structures have been interpreted differently over the years, in Mosura fentoni, researchers believe they suggest structures of an open circulatory system, according to the museum. This means that the Mosura fentoni would have pumped a blood-like substance called haemolymph through a series of body cavities. "Their identity has been controversial, but the well-preserved (body cavities) in Mosura help us to interpret similar, but less clear features that we've seen before in other fossils," Moysiuk told the U.K. museum. "It turns out that preservation of these structures is widespread, confirming the ancient origin of this type of circulatory system." The Mosura fentoni's densely-packed gills also vary from other radiodonts that researchers have studied. These gills indicate that the species may have lived in more active lifestyle in low-oxygen environments. In fact, the gills resemble the same structure that horseshoe crabs possess, which is called the opisthosoma. "That's not to say that horseshoe crabs and radiodonts are especially closely related, but it's instead an example of convergent evolution," said paleontologist Greg Edgecombe, per the U.K. Natural History Museum. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Sea moth': Scientists discover 3-eyed sea creature, Mosura fentoni
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Meet the 'sea moth,' a three-eyed sea creature from 500+ million years ago
Meet the 'sea moth,' a three-eyed sea creature from 500+ million years ago The Mosura fentoni, or "sea moth," may have used its third, median eye to detect light and move around its environment. Show Caption Hide Caption Strange and bizarre creature from 506 million years ago discovered A three-eyed predator 'sea moth' that lived 506 million years ago has been discovered in Canada. Scientists have discovered a three-eyed "sea moth" that dates back more than half a billion years ago. Paleontologists Joseph Moysiuk and Jean-Bernard Caron published a study an Wednesday, May 14 that introduces their findings of Mosura fentoni, a new type of radiodont that existed more than 500 million years ago. The "sea moth"-like species caught researchers' attention because of its third, median eye. Scientists named the newly-discovered species "Mosura fentoni," after the fictional Japanese monster kaiju, also known as "Mothra," for its moth-like appearance, the study states. Here's what to know about the newly-discovered deep sea creature. What is Mosura fentoni, the 'sea moth'? The newly-discovered Mosura fentoni specimen is only about 15 to 61 millimeters long (0.6 to 2.4 inches). The "sea moth" features a short head; small, rounded exoskeleton; three prominent eyes; appendages; large swimming flaps; and densely-packed gills, according to the study. The Mosura fentoni lived during the Cambrian Explosion, which began about 541 million years ago. The Mosura fentoni was a radiodont, a type of arthropod that lived between 520 to 400 million years ago, according to the United Kingdom's Natural History Museum. A popularly known radiodont is Anomalocaris, thought to be one of the first apex predators. Paleontologists believe Mosura fentoni hunted small prey, like shrimp, to avoid competing with other radiodonts in its ecosystem, according to the U.K. Natural History Museum. Mosura fentoni would have used rows of paddle-like fins to glide through the ocean and then use hook-like segments of its feeding appendages to grab small pray and move them through its mouth. Why did Mosura fentoni have a third eye? While paleontologists are still learning why Mosura fentoni had a third eye, researchers believe the eye may have been used to detect light and the seascape it moved through. Perhaps Mosura fentoni's median eye was similar to that of a dragonfly's extra eyes (yes, dragonflies have five eyes), used to orient themselves during high-speed hunts, according to the U.K. Natural History Museum. 'Sea moth' poses new features from other radiodonts A feature of the specimen that has particularly intrigued researchers is its dark, reflective patches, which are called "tonguelettes." Though these structures have been interpreted differently over the years, in Mosura fentoni, researchers believe they suggest structures of an open circulatory system, according to the museum. This means that the Mosura fentoni would have pumped a blood-like substance called haemolymph through a series of body cavities. "Their identity has been controversial, but the well-preserved (body cavities) in Mosura help us to interpret similar, but less clear features that we've seen before in other fossils," Moysiuk told the U.K. museum. "It turns out that preservation of these structures is widespread, confirming the ancient origin of this type of circulatory system." The Mosura fentoni's densely-packed gills also vary from other radiodonts that researchers have studied. These gills indicate that the species may have lived in more active lifestyle in low-oxygen environments. In fact, the gills resemble the same structure that horseshoe crabs possess, which is called the opisthosoma. "That's not to say that horseshoe crabs and radiodonts are especially closely related, but it's instead an example of convergent evolution," said paleontologist Greg Edgecombe, per the U.K. Natural History Museum. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
