Scientists discover 535-million-year-old creature with rare preserved muscle

Scientists have discovered a set of “extraordinary” microfossils that preserve muscle tissue from a creature that lived 535 million years ago. The fossils were recovered from the Kuanchuanpu geological formation in southern Shaanxi Province in China. The study was published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

This geological formation in China is rich in fossils that have helped shed light on a period of Earth’s history known as the Cambrian explosion, which began around 540 million years ago.

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Cambrian explosion

The Cambrian period is panned roughly at 539-485 million years ago. The explosion that took place at the beginning of the Cambrian period is called the Cambrian explosion.

The explosion was characterised by an unparalleled emergence of organisms over the course of several million years, including the first appearance of most of the major animal groups we know today.

The microfossils found in the latest study date back to the earliest part of the Cambrian period, known as the Fortunian Age.

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It is not clear exactly what animals the fossils belong to. However, the researchers have proposed that thepreserved muscle tissue is from an animal group known as the cycloneuralians. Finding the preserved muscle or nerve tissue among these cycloneuralins is new discovery and has never been heard of before.

Why is this finding significant?

The finding is significant because it will shed light on the musculature systems of early animals, features that are typically not preserved in the fossil record but are critical in understanding the behaviours of early animals.

“Such fossils are extremely rare—literally a needle in a haystack," Shuhai Xiao, a researcher in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech University and an author of the study, told Newsweek.

The cycloneuralian group includes animals such as roundworms and mud dragons that are characterised by a worm-like body. The group first appears in the fossil record at the beginning of the Cambrian period, and there are several species alive today.

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In the latest study, the researchers describe three fossil specimens, measuring just a few millimetres across, which they say represent preserved cycloneuralian muscle tissue from a body part known as the proboscis—a kind of sucking organ.

Among the specimens, one labelled NIGP179459 is better preserved, consisting of five successively larger rings with interconnecting structures, which the researchers interpreted to represent preserved proboscis muscle tissue.

It is unclear why the muscle tissue has been preserved in isolation from the host animal, according to the researchers.

(With inputs from agencies)

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