Bizarre 500-Million-Year-Old Creature Found

[Still Waters]

A new fossilized, cigar-shaped creature that lived about 520 million years ago has been unearthed in Morocco.

The new-found species, Helicocystis moroccoensis, has "characteristics that place it as the most primitive echinoderm that has fivefold symmetry," said study co-author Andrew Smith, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, referring to the group of animals that includes starfish and sea urchins. Modern echinoderms typically have five-point symmetry, such as the five arms of the starfish or the sand dollar's distinctive pattern.

http://news.discover...ssil-130627.htm

[Chooky88]

Another great example of life/evolution trying something completely different to fill a niche.

[Xanthurion2]

Looks like a monster from a video game. If it wasn't so tiny.

[paperdyer]

I could see this in Mario Bros.

[dummy2b]

Must be older than dirt

[d e v i c e]

Cool.