this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
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Palaeontology πŸ¦–

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Paleontology, also spelled palaeontology[a] or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossils to classify organisms and study their interactions with each other and their environments (their /c/paleoecology. Read more...

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Fossils of a new group of animal predators have been located in the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet fossil locality in North Greenland. These large worms may be some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonized the water column more than 518 million years ago, revealing a past dynasty of predators that scientists didn't know existed.

The new fossil animals have been named Timorebestia, meaning 'terror beasts' in Latin. Adorned with fins down the sides of their body, a distinct head with long antennae, massive jaw structures inside their mouth, and growing to more than 30cm in length, these were some of the largest swimming animals in the Early Cambrian times.

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[–] SpaceNoodle 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

3rd day of 2024 and we're already finding out we're on Dune

[–] ConditionOverload 21 points 1 year ago

Where's Kevin Bacon when you need him?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Nah, those are just Goa'uld from one of the many time travel episodes.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

At 30cm in length, I think you're right.

[–] Turbofish 4 points 1 year ago

Ah bud, please. I already get nightmares.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

[–] MajorHavoc 8 points 1 year ago

Yeah. The quotes around 'giant' in the title aren't rated for carrying this much euphemism. They're going to collapse under the strain of our disappointment. I was promsied giant arctic worms, darn it. That's a CR13 monster in D&D!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Compounded by the lack of pictures in this article.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tremors got it right, huh?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

At 30cm in length, maybe on ant scale (ngl, I'd probably watch that movie lol)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

We have metre long earth worms near me, could throw some of them in.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Fossils.

Fossils of a half-billion year old predator worm.

Not. Y'know. C'thulhu's Viking cousins.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Lovecraft was right

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] RGB3x3 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's big... scary... And pink!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

He who controls the spice controls the universe!

[–] Jaderick 3 points 1 year ago

"However, Timorebestia is a distant, but close, relative of living arrow worms, or chaetognaths.

Just say closest lmao

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Brutally blatant clickbait.

[–] Anticorp 1 points 1 year ago

And those bitches are probably going to wake up when the tundra thaws!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It's called a tim'rous beastie? Damn it's a few weeks early for Burns' night