It is very well preserved: scientists discover 505 million-year-old jellyfish in stone

Paleontologists have found jellyfish fossils that are approximately 505 million years old at the bottom of a Canadian fossil bed. Scientists from the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum have discovered more than 170 exquisite jellyfish fossils in the thin fossil silt of Canada's Burgess Shale, which preserves many fossils of soft animals from the Cambrian period.

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This is reported by ScienceAlert. Having found the soft tissues of jellyfish, the researchers were surprised by their preservation, as they usually degrade faster than hard bones, which are more often found in fossils. Along with the details of their anatomy, the scientists were able to identify a new species of jellyfish, Burgessomedusa phasmiformis, which is the earliest known jellyfish on Earth.

Although jellyfish and their relatives are considered one of the oldest evolved groups of animals, they have been quite difficult to identify in the Cambrian fossil record. The found fossils not only confirm that jellyfish existed at that time but also provide scientists with new data to calculate the timeline of jellyfish evolution.

Jellyfish belonging to the Cnidaria type have very soft tissue, so their fossilized remains are very rare. However, scientists have previously discovered Cnidarians in fossil deposits up to 560 million years old.

Finding such well-preserved jellyfish fossils is a significant discovery because they indicate the diversity of Cambrian marine systems at the time, which were dominated by hard-shelled creatures. The study also supports the idea that jellyfish originated from polyps and then evolved into free-swimming creatures.

The found jellyfish fossils allow paleontologists to better understand the ancient history of the evolution of these animals and their early stages of development. This discovery is a significant example of how soft tissue can be immortalized in fossils and bring new insights into ancient ecosystems.

As a reminder, the remains of a spider that lived on Earth more than 300 million years ago were found in Germany.

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