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SanctacarisPhylum Arthropoda,
Class Chelicerata
This is the most important specimen to be
discovered by Collins and the ROM team
as it represents the earliest known
example of a chelicerate, the group
containing the spiders and scorpions ( 41 ).
The large head shield protecting six head
appendages, five of which were spiny claws
to assist in capturing prey, gave it the
nickname of 'Santa Claws'! (see Briggs
and Collins, 1988).
crab'), then were interpreted as a set of
paired limbs of a giant arthropod, while the
circular mouth parts were originally
interpreted as the jellyfish Peytoia . More
complete specimens revealed this to be the
largest known of the Burgess animals,
reaching lengths of up to 1 m (3.3 ft). The
head has a pair of large eyes, the trunk is
covered with flap-like structures, and the
tail is a spectacular fan (see Whittington
and Briggs, 1985).
OpabiniaProblematica
This truly strange animal had five eyes on
the top of its head and a long, flexible
proboscis which terminated in a number
of spines, apparently a grasping organ
( 43, 44 ). Each of the body segments
possesses lateral lobes with gills and a
strange tail was formed by three posterior
flaps. Some authorities now believe that
it may be related to Anomalocaris and
that both may be arthropods (see
Whittington, 1975).
AnomalocarisProblematica
or Phylum Arthropoda?
The monster predator of the Burgess
Shale, Anomalocaris , does not resemble any
known animal and has long been
considered as an example of a short-lived
experimental arthropod-like phylum ( 42 ).
The prey-grasping anterior appendages
were originally thought to represent the
segmented abdomen of a crustacean
(hence the generic name meaning 'strange
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