The Canadian Burgess Shale is among the most vital fossil deposits on the earth as a result of distinctive preservation of its fossils. Positioned inside the Stephen Formation in British Columbia, it was deposited in the course of the center of the Cambrian interval (or the Miaolingian, about 508 Ma). It was as soon as dwelling to plenty of unfamiliar beings together with many varieties of arthropods, sponges, worms, brachiopods, ctenophores (comb jellies), early chordates, and lots of different organisms. Whereas I am keen on a plethora of the Shale’s fascinating fauna (Hallucigenia, Marrella, Opabinia, Ottoia, Sidneyia, Wiwaxia, and lots of extra), there may be one which stands out above all the remaining, and that’s Anomalocaris canadensis.
The primary fossils of Anomalocaris canadensis have been found within the Burgess Shale in 1866 by Richard G. McConnell, with further specimens collected by Henri-Marc Ami in 1891. It was first named in 1892 by Joseph Frederick Whiteaves. These earliest fossils have been what earned it its genus identify, that means “in contrast to different shrimp”. As we all know now, these preliminary fossils have been of this animal’s frontal appendages, and never of a novel phyllocarid crustacean. Regardless of that, its true identification wouldn’t be acknowledged for over a century after it was named. These fossils have been first acknowledged to be appendages of a bigger animal in 1979, by Derek Briggs, however what sort of animal they belonged to would nonetheless be a thriller for a couple of extra years. The primary partial specimen (G. S. C. 75535), found in 1966 or 1967, was initially described in 1985 by Harry Whittington and Briggs. Whereas incomplete, it was the primary time the appendages have been nonetheless connected to a physique, giving a a lot better understanding of what the animal seemed like than ever earlier than. It was lastly acknowledged and understood to be a radiodont dinocaridid in 1996 by Desmond Collins. The primary full specimen (ROM 51211) was found in 1991, almost a century after it was first named, and was described within the prior paper. A variety of different partial and full specimens have been discovered since (Daley and Edgecomb, 2014), and plenty of papers on its anatomy have since adopted.
This brings us to the topic of the assessment, the Anomalocaris Carri plush, the primary of the From The Shale Plushies lineup. These plushies have been designed by paleontologist Brennan Martens (BrennanThePaleoDude), and paleo artist Royce Riturban (Saureal). Brennan generously despatched me the plush to assessment right here. I’ve additionally been in contact with him since 2019 over on instagram, so I additionally like to consider this as a present from a pal, from one Anomalocaris fan to a different. This primary lineup relies on fossils discovered within the Rifle Range site, positioned inside the Keen Formation, in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and is deliberate to incorporate Olenellus santuccii (a species simply named in 2024 by Mark Webster), Tuzoia polleni (named in 1929 by Resser), Wanneria cranbrookense (additionally named by Webster in 2024), a hyolith, and Ottoia. The oldest incidence of Anomalocaris canadensis appears to happen on this formation (Caron et al, 2023, Briggs, 1979, and Resser, 1929), in the course of the Decrease (or Early) Cambrian, predating the extra well-known Burgess Shale. The earliest fossil of Anomalocaris from the Keen Formation was initially described as Anomalocaris cranbrookensis by Charles Resser in 1929, now a synonym of Anomalocaris canadensis. With that out of the way in which, let’s try the plush.
Proper off the bat I need to say that the anatomy has been rigorously researched and recreated right here, though additionally simplified (or lowered) in some points, maybe as a result of constraints of being a luxurious. Beginning with the top, there are three distinct round shapes current. These are known as sclerites. The one on the highest of the top represents the dorsal carapace (or H-element), and the 2 on the edges of the top are the P-elements. The eyes are located on two brief stalks on the aspect of the top, and whereas the eyes are depicted in a cartoon model on the plush, the true animal had complicated compound eyes. Specimens from the Emu Bay Shale (now assigned to Anomalocaris daleyae, Paterson et al, 2023) have preserved in intricate element that the eyes have hundreds of lenses (Paterson et al, 2011, Paterson et al, 2020). Every of the frontal appendages are separated into elements known as podomeres, every with a spiny protrusion on the underside sides. On the plush it seems they’ve been divided into a complete of 5 podomeres per appendage, and there’s a whole of six spines under. On the true animal there are 14 podomeres per appendage, with spines current on every. The primary of those spines will not be barbed, which has been retained on the plush (spines 11-14 additionally lack barbs). The three pairs of smaller head flaps are current as effectively.
On the underside of the top is the oral cone, which is represented by a circle and a number of other strains with a black circle within the heart. The oral depend has the distinctive triradial plate association, with 3 massive plates, surrounded by plenty of thinner ones in between. Because the first partial specimen of Anomalocaris canadensis was described in 1985, it was conflated with Peytoia nathorsti (and its synonym, Laggania cambria, which have been each named in the identical paper by Charles Walcott in 1911). It was lengthy thought that Anomalocaris had the identical kind of diamond formed mouth elements as Peytoia since 1985, however a 2012 paper by Daley and Bergström helped to clear up that it didn’t.
Shifting onto the physique, there are solely six pairs of physique flaps on the edges of the physique, in comparison with the 13 current on the true animal (not together with the three pairs of head flaps). These flaps would have undulated collectively to assist it swim. Likewise the physique additionally consisted of 13 segments, however the plush right here has 10 on the dorsal aspect, and about 11 on the ventral aspect. Every of those segments have been coated in pairs of setal blades, or gill-like constructions, which I imagine are represented on the plush within the type of the yellow flaps on the dorsal floor of the physique, though they aren’t divided within the center, creating rows, like on the true animal. The tail fan has additionally been included. Each are divided into pairs of three lobes, with the primary pair, closest to the physique, being the longest. In the course of the tail fan ought to be one other lobe, which seems to have both been omitted, or simplified on the finish of the plush’s physique. The plush measures about 18 inches/45.72 cm lengthy, from the tip of the tail fan, and the tip of the frontal appendage, straighten out. The frontal appendage is about 4 inches/10.16 cm lengthy. The physique is kind of about 10 inches/25.4 cm, from the again of the top, to the underside tip close to the tail followers. The physique is at its widest across the third pair of physique flaps, about 8.5 inches/21.59 cm lengthy (together with the flaps). The earliest fashionable dimension estimate for Anomalocaris put it round 1 meter lengthy (Briggs, 1979), however this was primarily based purely on the fossils of the frontal appendages, which have been separated from, and with out the physique. The whole specimen ROM 51211 measures about 20.5 cm/8.1 inches lengthy (Collins, 1996), together with its frontal appendages and tail fan. This might make the plush just a little bigger then 1:1 scale, when scaled to that specimen. If the frontal appendages of the plush are scaled to a big 18 cm specimen consisting of solely of the frontal appendage (Daley and Edgecomb, 2014), it could put the plush round 1:2 scale (or 1:1.8 extra particularly). The size of the physique ought to be about twice so long as the frontal appendages. I might say the physique is just a little bit bigger proportionally, however not overly so.
The coloration has been derived from the Blue Swimmer Crab (which is relevant to a number of species inside the genus Portunus, and what a fantastic coloration it’s. The primary physique is of a lightweight blue shade, and the segments on the dorsal aspect have some inexperienced utilized. The pinnacle, physique flaps, and tail fan all are coloured in a number of shades of blue, progressing from mild to darkish. As talked about earlier the setal blades, or gill-like constructions are coloured in yellow. The pinnacle consists of assorted shades of blue, together with the attention stalks and frontal appendages. The frontal appendages, and eyes even have a contact of purple on them. There’s additionally loads of mild blue spots on the top, frontal appendages, physique segments and flaps. A really eye catching assortment of colours, and with some refined counter shading current as effectively.
Total, whereas some points have been simplified, I discover this a really charming plush, although after all I’m naturally biased to it, with Anomalocaris being one among my favourite prehistoric animals. The one option to get your arms on this plush at the moment is by testing the From The Shale Plushies Etsy store, or at a couple of museum retailers native to the Keen Formation (Cranbrook Historical past Centre, and Fort Steele Heritage City). For those who merely adore Anomalocaris like I do, I’d actually advocate getting your arms on this plush whilst you can. And earlier than I neglect, the entire plush does really feel fairly strong, and the outer materials is sort of a gentle velvet. And for what it’s value, the second deliberate plush Nelly the Olenellus santuccii, a trilobite frequent to the Keen Formation, at the moment has a kickstarter campaign underway (a minimum of on the time of posting this), for those who is likely to be .
Trending Merchandise
