Science Alert
08 January 2024
Before life on our planet exploded in diversity, Earth was once a ‘wormworld’, dominated by wriggling tube-shaped creatures.
One of the earliest rulers of this ancient animal kingdom – a giant carnivorous worm – has now been found in fossil form.
More than 518 million years ago, the roughly 30-centimeter-long critter would have been one of the largest existing swimming animals. Its relatively gigantic jaws, long antennae, and rippling fins would have made it a formidable enemy.