Medical News
Isoxys auritusOxford University Museum of Natural History
By Graham LawtonMore than half a billion years ago, this stalk-eyed minibeast (Isoxys auritus) cruised the seas in what is now Yunnan, China.
This remarkable fossil is one of 55 from the Chengjiang deposit on loan to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, most of which have never been seen outside China before.
The fossils date back more than 500 million years to the Cambrian explosion, an evolutionary big bang that gave birth to modern ecosystems and all the basic types of animal we see today. The Chengjiang deposit has become famous for its exquisite specimens, many of which are changing our understanding of how animals evolved.
I. auritus was related to insects and crustaceans, and was probably a predator. This fossil is on display as part of the museum’s First Animals exhibition.
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