Giant Shrimp Length 1 Meter

Fossils of shrimp-like predator with a length of 1 meter is found in southeast Morocco. The animal has the biggest size in its kind and is expected to dominate the seas in the days of pre-dinosaurs for millions of years.

Animals called Anomalocaridid ​​it looks like shrimp and cuttlefish. One part of his head protruding and circular. Covered their mouths and opens and closes like a camera diaphragm.

The biggest Anomalocaridid ​​prior findings, measuring 0.6 meters. Size is like that alone makes it the largest animal in the Cambrian period (542 to 501 million years ago), as invertebrates evolved into many things.

Besides size, another surprising thing of this invention is a relatively young age of the fossil, estimated age of 488 until 472 years ago. "This animal turned out to survive live 30 years longer than expected," says Derek Briggs, Director of the Yale Peabody Museum, which participated in the study.

Anomalocaridid ​​widespread during the Cambrian period, but begin not in the era 510 million years ago. "What they are extinct or are we looking in the wrong place?" Briggs said can not answer the mystery. Apparently, soft tissue damage before it is formed fossils. Especially for the fossils found in Morocco, the scientists are lucky because the sediment surrounding a preserved animal.

Anomalocaridid ​​ultimately did not produce offspring extinct and modern. "Succeeded fish and other marine predators," said Briggs explained.