500 million-year-old 3-eyed sea creature discovered

This creature, which dates back 506 million years, came to light thanks to fossils found in the Burgess Shale rock formations in Canada. Researchers stated that these fossils were so well preserved that they even preserved internal organ details. Traces of Mosura fentoni's nervous system, digestive system and circulatory system gave scientists the opportunity to better understand the evolution of ancient arthropods.

The creature was named after Mothra, a legendary character from Japanese cinema. Not as giant as Mothra, but about the size of a finger, M. fentoni is considered a major discovery for science despite its small size. The research was published in the Royal Society Open Science journal on May 14.

Mosura fentoni belongs to an extinct group of arthropods known as radiodonts. This group is known for its head appendages and lateral fins. However, the radiodont species known to date had very similar body structures. M. fentoni is notable for having many body segments on its back and unusually long gills.

The researchers think that these gills may have evolved as an adaptation to an active lifestyle with high oxygen needs or to survive in low-oxygen environments. It was noted that M. fentoni has the longest gills relative to body length of all known radiodonts.

Most of the fossils were collected from Raymond Quarry in Yoho National Park in British Columbia between 1990 and 2022. Most of them had been sitting in the archives of the Royal Ontario Museum for years. The team also identified another specimen at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

"Very few fossil sites in the world provide this level of soft tissue information. Even the nerve bundles in the eyes are visible," said study co-author Jean-Bernard Caron, adding that this finding suggests that early arthropods were much more diverse and specialized than previously thought.