The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has unveiled the discovery of the oldest known swimming jellyfish in the fossil record: Burgessomedusa phasmiformis. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The Burgessomedusa species belongs to the medusozoans, a group of animals that produce medusae and includes box jellies, hydroids, stalked jellyfish, and true jellyfish. Medusozoans are part of the Cnidaria group, one of the oldest animal groups that also includes corals and sea anemones. Burgessomedusa provides evidence that large, saucer or bell-shaped jellyfish that could swim evolved more than 500 million years ago. Despite jellyfish being composed mostly of water, the Burgessomedusa fossils found in the Burgess Shale are remarkably well-preserved. The ROM possesses nearly 200 specimens that reveal intricate details of internal anatomy and tentacles, with some specimens measuring over 20 centimeters in length. These characteristics enable the classification of Burgessomedusa as a medusozoan. Similar to modern jellyfish, Burgessomedusa would have been able to swim freely and use its tentacles to capture large prey. The discovery of Burgessomedusa sheds light on the presence of swimming jellyfish in the Cambrian period and reveals a more complex food chain than previously believed. The Burgess Shale preserves delicate creatures like Burgessomedusa in rock layers atop mountains, providing a remarkable glimpse into the evolution of life on Earth. The study was based on fossil specimens unearthed at the Burgess Shale, primarily discovered in the late 1980s and 1990s. The specimens demonstrate that predation during the Cambrian period was not limited to large swimming arthropods like Anomalocaris. The Burgess Shale is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be visited at the ROM.
Oldest Swimming Jellyfish Species Discovered by Researchers
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