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Dickinosonia
Dickinosonia
Ancient polychaete annelid with a broad, flat body of considerable size: up to 45 cm long in the largest known speciment. The outline of the body is more or less elliptical, with subparallel sides; it is marked by a central, longitudinal axis, corresponding to the intestine, and is divided into numerous segments that form a dense transversal design; the segments in the region in front of the mouth are fused together. Dorsal lamellae have been preserved on some speciments.
Remark -- This is an animal that lived close to th sea floor, in the shallow waters of the ancient Ediacara Sea. It procured food by filtering th edetritus on th eseabed in search of organic aprticles and perhaps possessed the ability to swim freely. There are surprising similarities between this primitive annelid and the modern polychaete Spnither, from which it is seperated by a time span of almost 700 million years.
Copyreght ©1986 by Arnoldo Monadori Editore S.p.a., Milan
45cm