Fish
Metaspriggina walcotti
Metaspriggina walcottiMetaspriggina walcotti was an agile stem-vertebrate that navigated middle Cambrian seas over 500 million years ago, propelling itself through open water using rhythmic contractions of W-shaped muscle blocks. Exceptional soft-tissue fossils from the Burgess Shale reveal camera-style eyes, paired nasal capsules, and seven pairs of robust gill bars that directly prefigured the architecture of vertebrate jaws. Its streamlined form and active swimming lifestyle placed it among the pioneering chordates navigating complex marine food webs.
FossilCambrianPrehistoric
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyMarine phytoplankton, Microscopic zooplankton, Suspended organic detritus
Predators
- Anomalocaris canadensis
- Hurdia victoria
- Titanokorys gainesi
ThreatsCambrian marine ecosystem shifts and apex predators
HabitatsShallow tropical seas and continental shelf waters
Life span1–3 years
Classification
- FamilyMetasprigginidae
- GenusMetaspriggina
- SpeciesMetaspriggina walcotti
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
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- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct prehistoric species known only from fossils; completely safe.
Responsible observation
- Fossil Examination: View specimens under low-angle directional light to make faint gill bars stand out.
- Museum Exhibits: Look for prepared Burgess Shale slabs displaying soft tissue carbonaceous films.
Predator (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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