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\u201cTimorebestia<\/em> were giants of their day and would have been close to the top of the food chain,\u201d says Dr Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol’s Schools of Earth Sciences and one of the scientists involved in the study.<\/p>
\u201cThat makes it equivalent in importance to some of the top carnivores in modern oceans, such as sharks and seals back in the Cambrian period (500 million years ago).\u201d<\/p>
Dr Jakob Vinther at the Sirius Passet locality in 2017 showing the largest specimen of Timorebestia after it was found. Credit: Dr Jakob Vinther<\/figcaption><\/figure> The scientists have established that the newly discovered worm is a distant relative of arrow worms that are still found in oceans which feed on microscopic zooplankton.<\/p>
However today’s arrow worms are mere tiddlers compared to their relatively gigantic ancestors as they range in size from just two to 120 millimetres.<\/p>
\u201cOur research shows that these ancient ocean ecosystems were fairly complex with a food chain that allowed for several tiers of predators,\u201d adds Dr Vinther.<\/p>
Thanks to the exceptional level of preservation in the fossils, the scientists were able to analyse the fossilised digestive system of the worms.<\/p>
Remarkably the scientists were able to detect remains of what was once a common, swimming arthropod called Isoxys.<\/p>
![\"A](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/A-reconstruction-of-the-pelagic-ecosystem-and-the-organisms-fossilised-in-Sirius-Passet-revealing-how-Timorebestia-was-one-of-the-largest-predators-in-the-water-column-more-than-518-million-years-ago.-Credit-Bob-Nicholls-Art.jpg\")
A reconstruction of the pelagic ecosystem and the organisms fossilised in Sirius Passet, revealing how Timorebestia was one of the largest predators in the water column more than 518 million years ago. Credit: Bob Nicholls Art<\/figcaption><\/figure> \u201cWe can see that these arthropods were a food source many other animals,\u201d says Morten Lunde Nielsen, a former PhD student at Bristol University and part of the research team.<\/p>
Isoxys had long protective spines, pointing both forwards and backwards. However the scientists believe that these defensive adaptations were unable to prevent Timorebestia from eating Isoxys in vast numbers.<\/p>
\u201cBoth arrow worms and the more primitive Timorebestia<\/em>, were swimming predators,\u201d says Dr Vinther.<\/p>
\u201cWe can therefore surmise that in all likelihood they were the predators that dominated the oceans before arthropods took off. Perhaps they had a dynasty of about 10-15 million years before they got superseded by other and more successful groups.\u201d <\/p>
Main illustration credit: Bob Nicholls Art<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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- What killed the dinosaurs? It may not have been a meteorite that delivered the deadly blow, say scientists<\/a><\/li>