The worlds first predator might have been found In Australia., page 1

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Topic started on 8-12-2011 @ 06:13 AM by steveknows

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian scientists on Thursday hailed the discovery of a pair of insect-like eyes belonging to a freakish prehistoric super-predator which trawled the seas more than 500 million years ago.

Measuring three centimetres (1.2 inches) across and with a whopping 16,000 individual lenses the fossilised eyes, from a huge shellfish-type creature called anomalocaris, were found in rocks on Australia's Kangaroo Island.

Anomalocaris could grow up to one metre long and were considered the "great white shark" of the Cambrian era, topping the ancient marine food chain, according to lead researcher John Paterson.

For anyone who likes prehistoric creatures this little bugger's a doozy.

au.news.yahoo.com...

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:19 AM by Cygnus_Hunter

Chuck another Anomalocaris on the barbie would ya mate? I'll crack open a Cambrian bitter for the both of us !

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:22 AM by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi

And this is why we developed feet and evolved us some lungs

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:25 AM by steveknows

Originally posted by Cygnus_Hunter
Chuck another Anomalocaris on the barbie would ya mate? I'll crack open a Cambrian bitter for the both of us !

Did you just ruin a good meal with a bad beer?

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:26 AM by steveknows

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
And this is why we developed feet and evolved us some lungs

Yeah you'd want to get out of the way.

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:39 AM by Atzil321

The researchers call it the "world's first apex predator," because it had highly acute vision and was much larger than other animals in the ocean at that time. It's the discovery of their eyes that is important. The eyes were discovered in a fossil from a 515-million-year-old deposit on Kangaroo Island, in South Australia. Other fossils discovered in this deposit show ancient eyes that aren't nearly as well developed, but still quite sharp compared with other animals of the day.

Creationists and IDers often use the eye as an example of 'too complex to have evolved' It should be amusing listening to how they explain this new fossil bed and clear evidence of eyes in many different stages of the evolutionary process.

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:45 AM by Oakislander

Talk about an overkill on the individual lenses. Crazy.

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 06:47 AM by steveknows

Originally posted by Atzil321
The researchers call it the "world's first apex predator," because it had highly acute vision and was much larger than other animals in the ocean at that time. It's the discovery of their eyes that is important. The eyes were discovered in a fossil from a 515-million-year-old deposit on Kangaroo Island, in South Australia. Other fossils discovered in this deposit show ancient eyes that aren't nearly as well developed, but still quite sharp compared with other animals of the day.

Creationists and IDers often use the eye as an example of 'too complex to have evolved' It should be amusing listening to how they explain this new fossil bed and clear evidence of eyes in many different stages of the evolutionary process.

Oh please don't wish the God squad on the thread.

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 07:14 AM by BadBoYeed

And Chris Hansen from NBC was there to catch it

(sorry)

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 08:05 AM by Timely

Originally posted by steveknows

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian scientists on Thursday hailed the discovery of a pair of insect-like eyes belonging to a freakish prehistoric super-predator which trawled the seas more than 500 million years ago.

Measuring three centimetres (1.2 inches) across and with a whopping 16,000 individual lenses the fossilised eyes, from a huge shellfish-type creature called anomalocaris, were found in rocks on Australia's Kangaroo Island.

Anomalocaris could grow up to one metre long and were considered the "great white shark" of the Cambrian era, topping the ancient marine food chain, according to lead researcher John Paterson.

For anyone who likes prehistoric creatures this little bugger's a doozy.

Mate!

That sucker puts the Bush pig to shame ... in terms of scariness!

au.news.yahoo.com...

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 12:25 PM by badtaste87

damn it im never gonna get to post something im always beaten to it! haha nice find though just been reading about this. 16000 individual lens! sight must be phenomenal. definataly a predator.

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 12:49 PM by Majiq

reply to post by steveknows

I think it is awesome anytime a new species is found, and what I find even more interesting is the fossil bed demonstrating different levels of eye evolution, that is truly an awesome find. Being a bit ignorant in this field though, what I would like to know is how, from a set of eyes do they know so much about the animal? The pic is cool, but how do they know that it looked that way, what it ate, etc...

Just in case anyone misunderstands I am in no way trying to disregard the find, or say that it isn't what they say it is. The people who are studying this are well schooled in the field and I don't have the first clue. I am just curious how they take a fossilized set of eyes and are able to recreate this creature, and know its habits etc..

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 07:12 PM by steveknows

Originally posted by Majiq
reply to post by steveknows

I think it is awesome anytime a new species is found, and what I find even more interesting is the fossil bed demonstrating different levels of eye evolution, that is truly an awesome find. Being a bit ignorant in this field though, what I would like to know is how, from a set of eyes do they know so much about the animal? The pic is cool, but how do they know that it looked that way, what it ate, etc...

Just in case anyone misunderstands I am in no way trying to disregard the find, or say that it isn't what they say it is. The people who are studying this are well schooled in the field and I don't have the first clue. I am just curious how they take a fossilized set of eyes and are able to recreate this creature, and know its habits etc..

Well TPITK (the people in the know) know how many lenzes the eye of a predater would need such a Praying mantis compared to a grass hopper or an octopus compared to a crab. Creatures that prey have lenzes that are great for seeing detail and judging distances and creatures that are the prey have lenzes that are great for spotting movement. They also look at the type of tools it would need and they can compare it, as they do, to creatures living today that fill a similar role that can be observed.

Actually the creature wasn't unfamiliar to me which is why it caught my eye. I've seen fossil pics of it before just not complete so it seems that they've found another half or part fossil but this time actually with its eyes. I don't think it was just a set of eyes they found but rather the eye's with parts they could already Identify. I think I've seen it before in one of my scientifc Australian magazines but I've got to dig it out ( excuse the pun) to know for sure.

edit on 8-12-2011 by steveknows because: Typo

reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 07:26 PM by steveknows

Originally posted by Timely

Originally posted by steveknows

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian scientists on Thursday hailed the discovery of a pair of insect-like eyes belonging to a freakish prehistoric super-predator which trawled the seas more than 500 million years ago.

Measuring three centimetres (1.2 inches) across and with a whopping 16,000 individual lenses the fossilised eyes, from a huge shellfish-type creature called anomalocaris, were found in rocks on Australia's Kangaroo Island.

Anomalocaris could grow up to one metre long and were considered the "great white shark" of the Cambrian era, topping the ancient marine food chain, according to lead researcher John Paterson.

For anyone who likes prehistoric creatures this little bugger's a doozy.

Mate!

That sucker puts the Bush pig to shame ... in terms of scariness!

au.news.yahoo.com...

Yeah and they grew up to one meter. Imagine that thing swimming around our beautiful beaches now