Finally! An Ancient Fish That Understood Life's Terrors
Defector • • science
Key Points:
- The Cambrian period, around 518 million years ago, marked a significant shift in ocean life as small fish had to adapt to the emergence of large carnivorous predators, moving beyond the previously dominant filter feeders.
- Fossils of early fish-like creatures called myllokunmingiids, including Haikouichthys, reveal they had features similar to modern fish but lacked jaws and had a conical mouth; notably, Haikouichthys was about an inch long and had limited fins.
- New research published in Nature discovered that Haikouichthys had four eyes—two large ones on the sides and two smaller ones in the middle of its head—with all eyes containing melanosomes, suggesting advanced visual
