Nectocaris

E779337

Nectocaris is an enigmatic soft-bodied marine animal from the Cambrian period, known from fossil deposits and notable for its unusual body plan that has sparked debate over its evolutionary relationships.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Cambrian animal
fossil genus
soft-bodied marine organism
bodyPlan large anterior funnel-like structure
large stalked eyes
laterally flattened body
pair of lateral fins
bodyPreservation soft-tissue
controversy phylogenetic position debated
discoveredIn Burgess Shale fossil assemblage NERFINISHED
environment marine
shallow marine settings
evolutionarySignificance important for early cephalopod evolution debates
problematic taxon
feedingMode predatory
firstDescribedBy Simon Conway Morris NERFINISHED
firstDescriptionYear 1976
fossilRange Cambrian
fossilStatus rare
geologicalPeriod Cambrian NERFINISHED
hasAppendages anterior tentacle-like appendages
hasBeenInterpretedAs non-arthropod lobopodian-like animal
non-biomineralized mollusc-like animal
stem-group cephalopod
hasEyes stalked compound eyes
kingdom Animalia
knownFrom Burgess Shale NERFINISHED
Canada NERFINISHED
Lagerstätte deposits
lifestyle nektonic
locomotion fins for swimming
possible jet propulsion via funnel
morphologicalInterpretation enigmatic
phylum incertae sedis
preservationType exceptional soft-tissue preservation
researchTopic diversity of Cambrian nekton
early evolution of cephalopods
scientificDebate affinities to molluscs vs. other groups
interpretation of funnel and fins
shellPresence shell-less
size a few centimeters in length
skeleton lacked mineralized shell
taxonRank genus
temporalRange Middle Cambrian NERFINISHED
typeSpecies Nectocaris pteryx NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cambrian biota includesTaxon Nectocaris