They Are The Ancestors Of Cuttlefish, Octopus, Nautilus
Heidelberg (Germany), Mar 25: A team of scientists from the University of Heidelberg, Germany have discovered possibly the oldest cephalopods in Earth’s history. They studied the chalky shells of the fossils attached to the rocks from the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada. The fossils were found to be around
522 million years old and could be the first known form of the highly evolved invertebrate organisms, the cephalopods. This evolved into the present day brainy octopus, gorgeous nautilus, and charming cuttlefish. The fossil‟s shell was shaped like a long cone and subdivided into individual chambers. These are connected by a tube called the siphuncle (a tissue that helps to empty water from the shell). These fossils prove that cephalopods may be 30 million years older than previously thought. The scientists are hoping to find a better preserved sample to reconfirm their study.
