Anomalocaris: The first ever animal to hunt animals
Written by Azzy Xiang
Everyone has heard of predators and prey - they've been around since forever, and there are such a vast variety of animals that eat other animals. Even us humans are predators that eat meat in addition to plants, aren't we? That brings the question of which animal was the first one to start hunting others... It is anomalocaris, a sea creature that lived in the Cambrian period around 540 million years ago. You'll be in for a treat because this little guy (oops, not so little -- more like almost a meter long!), was most certainly a trendsetter in the world of food chains.
Anomalocaris looked like a giant shrimp with pairs of flaps that it would use to propel itself through the water. But what made it really different from other prehistoric creatures was its horrifying array of serrated mouthparts, which it used to tear through the soft bodies of its prey, likely smaller crustaceans. Anomalocaris is considered Earth's first predator because it was the first known animal to exhibit predatory behavior.
It is believed that anomalocaris was a very efficient predator -- good for a first-timer, right? It uses its sharp appendages to grab and crush smaller animals before devouring them whole, and its huge compound eyes - somewhat similar to a fly's - gave it a distinct advantage, as it could see its prey from a distance and in different perspectives.
But what's truly fascinating is that this was the first hunter. Prior to anomalocaris, early animals were either herbivores or passive filter-feeders that relied on plankton and small particles for sustenance. But this shrimplike creature shattered the entire concept of passive feeding, its evolution making animals capable of more complex behaviors -- much earlier in Earth's history than previously believed.
Here are some additional facts about this crazy critter:
Its name means “unusual shrimp”.
Some variants of anomalocaris could grow up to six feet long!
It is distantly related to modern crabs and lobsters.
It didn’t survive the Cambrian extinction, unfortunately.
So next time you're at the beach, looking at all the algae floating distantly in the ocean, or a giant whale making a backflip among the waves, or a shark's fin just barely visible above the water, remember that it all began with anomalocaris and its insatiable appetite for fellow creatures. It's apparent that even ancient, seemingly insignificant organisms can have an everlasting impact on the evolution of life on Earth. And who knows, maybe there are still more undiscovered creatures out there, waiting to reveal even more secrets about the natural world... Hmmm, maybe one traveled back in time and started the Big Bang?
More resources about this first ever predator that you can check out:
https://www.shapeoflife.org/news/featured-creature/2018/02/26/anomalocaris
https://www.crittersquad.com/fact-sheets/anomalocaris-fact-sheet/
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/anomalocaris-video-earths-first-predator.1052425/
Written by Azzy Xiang from MEDILOQUY