Hallucigenia sparsa, a small lobopodian from the Cambrian-age Burgess Shale, climbing on a sponge.

Papiliomaris kluessendorfae, first reported in 1985 as the Waukesha "Butterfly Animal", was recently described as a strange bivalved arthropod with three pairs of large, feathery appendages. Some reports indicate it could reach up to 20cm wide.

Multiple lobopodian fossils from the Chengjiang Biota of Cambrian China, including a specimen of two Diania cactiformis, have been found stacked directly on top of each other. Perhaps a snapshot into the courtship and reproduction of these ancient arthropod ancestors?

Results from the #paloestream from 26th July 2025. Depicted are from top left to down right: #Palaeocampa #Nektognathus #Wudingloong #Mirasaura Tags: #paleoart #prehistoric #prehistoriccreatures #paleozoic #prehistoricanimals #peternickolaus #paleopete #dinosaur

Results from the Flocking #paleostream! Palaeocampa, Nektognathus, Wudingloong, Mirasaura

#Paleostream flocking! Nektognathus, Palaeocampa, Wudingloong(Sort by age). It is unclear if Wudingloong lived alongside quadrupedal sauropods

Flocking! A Lobopodian was drawn! Palaeocampa, Nektognathus, Wudingloong, Mirasaura. #paleostream #paleoart #sciart #art

A really nice thread on a strange worm. #FossilFriday

Palaeocampa anthrax, a fossil worm first described from Carboniferous rocks in 1865 as a caterpillar, is redescribed as a freshwater aysheaiid lobopodian with unique sclerite armature and probable chemical defences. @prehistorica.art www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Basically, they're this big mama here, but having lived directly in fresh water with spikes like spiky-boi caterpillars, a head shield, and presumably no ability to shoot glue. They would definitely be fun to keep in an aquarium!

Knecht et al. - Palaeocampa anthrax, an armored freshwater lobopodian with chemical defenses from the Carboniferous www.nature.com/articles/s42...

#paleoart In Carboniferous lake of Montceau-les-Mines, Platysella descusi is trying to bother Palaeocampa anthrax. Palaeocampa curls up and bristles up in defense. Two Palaeocaris secretanae and single Nyranerpeton montceauense are swimming nearby.

Great thread on a cool newly recognized toxic lobopodian from the famous Mazon Creek lagerstätte.

peak lifeform

⚒️🧪

Palaeocampa anthrax, an armored freshwater lobopodian with chemical defenses from the Carboniferous www.nature.com/articles/s42... Art by @prehistorica.art

🚨LOBOPODIAN ALERT!1!!!11!🚨 Palaeocampa – a fossil known since 1865 – redescribed & now interpreted as: geologically youngest of its kind (315-307 mya), lived in freshwater environments, & (most badass of all) had venomous spines. Great work by Richard Knect, @prehistorica.art, & colleagues. 🧪

某所で噂されていた研究が出版された・・・石炭紀の淡水葉足動物！ phys.org/news/2025-07...

Meet Palaeocampa anthrax, a newly discovered Carboniferous lobopodian, and 150 year old mystery fossil! Palaeocampa is an exceptional lobopodian - it lived in rivers and lakes, bristled with thousands of poisonous spines, and more. 🧵 Open access: nature.com/articles/s42...

A swarm of Isotelus maximus gathering to moult and reproduce, stalked in the distance by large nautiloid cephalopods.

Cretoperipatus burmiticus, an equatorial velvet worm from the Cretaceous period.

Discussion in #PapersinPalaeontology: comment onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... and reply onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... on Omnidens appendages and the origin of radiodont mouthparts

Pulmonoscorpius, a 70cm long scorpion from Carboniferous Scotland. A daytime predator, Pulmonoscorpius was equipped with large compound eyes on the sides of its head, and an enormous stinger. Here, it blends in with the forest, eating a lizard-like Westlothiana.

New Paper -> Comment on: Omnidens appendages and the origin of radiodont mouthparts Are there really 2 species of Omnidens? I comment on the organization of the mouth of this Cambrian apex predator, and argue there is only one species, Omnidens amplus. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Keurbos susanae, a newly described giant arthropod from the Ordovician-age Soom Shale of South Africa.

For #FossilFriday, an enormous (>70cm) headshield from the colossal filter feeding radiodont Aegirocassis benmoulai (Ordovician of Morocco, Fezouata Formation) One of the most exciting fossils I've gotten in the mail, I think

The Herefordshire Biota, a diverse assemblage of animals from the Silurian-age rocks of the UK. Among the largest animals is Thanahita, a strange relative of Hallucigenia with soft papillae lining its back.

Arthropleura, the largest known arthropod to ever exist at an estimated 2.5 metres long, walks slowly along an ancient Carboniferous coastline looking for food.

The Anji Biota, a diverse glass sponge reef roughly 1000 metres below the waves of Ordovician China, in the aftermath of Earth's second worst mass extinction event. Archopterus anjiensis, a small eurypterid, glides leisurely through. #paleoart #sciart

Balcoracania dailyi, exploring the intertidal reaches of a shallow inland sea during the middle Cambrian. As an adult, this trilobite could have over 100 thoracic segments, more than any other known trilobite.

In the middle Cambrian of China, a young Amplectobelua narrowly escapes a Tauricornicaris (here restored as a Fuxianhuiid). #paleoart #paleontology #cambrian

Imagine travelling back 470 million years to dive alongside the marine polar animals of that era. Reconstruction by @prehistorica.bsky.social. Work published earlier this year in collaboration with @lukaslaibl.bsky.social: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🤿 🦐

A Presence at the Shore of Hațeg Island... (February 2024)

Isotelus, one of North America’s largest and most famous trilobites. Some specimens of Isotelus maximus have been noted to preserve distinct spots of pigmentation on the shell, giving us a hint at its in-life colouration and patterning. #FossilFriday

The Fezouata Biota, a collection of exceptionally preserved rocks from the Ordovician of Morocco. The largest, the radiodont Aegirocassis benmoulai, grew to over 2 metres in length. This piece was one of the most time consuming I’ve ever done, and includes roughly 50 different animal species.

Shucaris ankylosskelos, a recently described radiodont from the Chengjiang Biota, hunting an Erratus sperare. Shucaris was a mid-sized (~30cm) radiodont of questionable taxonomic placement. It had unique, crook-shaped appendages, and gnathobases behind the mouth to cut up prey.

“… the thought of a megalodon, rushing up and grabbing a whale, the way that white sharks grab seals here, and the amount of blood, and the thrashing…” (Thanks to @evoincarnate.bsky.social for the base model)

Slimonia acuminata, a large eurypterid from the Silurian of Lesmahagow, Scotland. It lacked the long grabbing chelicera characteristic of more famous pterygotioids, instead using its three walking limbs to catch prey.

Now that it’s got varnish I’m actually not sure about giving it away just yet

Prepared and repaired a decent little Trimerus from the Rochester Shale. With a bit of paint touch up, it made for a nice piece. Also, what I thought was a Trimerus, but is actually a big chunk of cephalopod shell.

Earlier in the week it seems I managed to find the first ever soft bodied fossil from the relatively famous Rochester Shale, the place I get all my Trimerus fossils. To me, it looks like some kind of worm moult (maybe Palaeoscolecid?). Don’t really know what to do with it tbh

samurai sword

Trimerus delphinocephalus, a giant trilobite from the Silurian-age Rochester Shale, hiding under some rocks.