invertebrates Archives

Batillipes pennaki, found in Brazil, is a marine species of tardigrade (photo: André Garraffoni)

Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release

Tardigrades Are Less Cosmopolitan And More Diverse Than Has Been Thought

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2024October 25, 2024

Tardigrades are microscopic invertebrates measuring between 0.2 mm and 1.1 mm in length. They are close relatives of arthropods (spiders, insects, crustaceans), and can live in wide variety of environments. […]

Artistic reconstruction of Megasiphon thylakos, a benthic organism that lived directly on the seafloor. M. thylakos was also sessile (non-moving) and spent its time filter feeding using its prominent siphons. Also reconstructed in the vicinity are other species commonly found in the Marjum Formation, the site from which M. thyalkos was discovered. Nearby brachiopods (bottom center) and the spiny sponge Choia (center middle) are common in many Cambrian environments. In the background is the hemichordate Oesia, which lived in perforated tubes. CREDIT Original artwork by Franz Anthony

Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Discovery Of A 500-million-year-old Fossil Reveals The Astonishing Secrets Of Tunicate Origins

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2023July 6, 2023

Karma Nanglu says his favorite animal is whichever one he’s working on. But his latest subject may hold first place status for a while: a 500-million-year-old fossil from the wonderfully […]

Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mysterious New Seafloor Species Sheds Light on Early Animal Evolution

by Keith CowingDecember 27, 2017

Japanese researchers have discovered a new species of the enigmatic marine worm Xenoturbella, which they have named Xenoturbella japonica, as reported in a new study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology. […]