Burgessia

Bur-jes-se-ah.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Burgessia ‭(‬Named after Mount Burgess‭)‬.

Phonetic

Bur-jes-se-ah.

Named By

Walcott‭ ‬-‭ ‬1912.

Classification

Arthropoda.

Diet

Detritivore.

Species

B.‭ ‬bella

Size

Carapace in larger specimens about‭ ‬12‭ ‬millimetres long.‭ ‬Total body length of largest about‭ ‬42.5‭ ‬millimetres.

Known locations

Canada,‭ ‬British Columbia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Burgess Shale Formation.

Time Period

Delamaran‭ (‬513-505‭ ‬BP‭) ‬of the Cambrian.

Fossil representation

Literally thousands of individuals.

In Depth

       Burgessia is a genus of arthropod that lived during the Cambrian,‭ ‬and one that looks a lot like a modern day horseshoe crab when seen from above.‭ ‬Burgessia was much smaller than a horseshoe crab however with even the largest individuals being only a little over four centimetres in length,‭ ‬and the smallest about half a centimetre from the front of the carapace to the tip of the rear spine.‭ ‬Two large antennae grew forth from under the carapace and as these were probably the primary sensory organs as so far no eye have been found on any Burgessia specimen,‭ ‬indicating that the genus was blind.‭ ‬The mouth was on the underside of the body and when the antennae‭ ‘‬tasted‭’ ‬a morsel that was edible,‭ ‬the individual Burgessia called walk on top of the food and begin eating.‭ ‬The presence of mud in the gut of some Burgessia specimens has led to‭ ‬the theory that Burgessia may have routinely eaten mud,‭ ‬digesting the organic parts,‭ ‬and passing out the inorganic,‭ ‬though most researchers also‭ ‬recognise that this could simply be a case of mud sediments entering the body after death.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Taphonomy of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community,‭ ‬Burgess Shale.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PALAIOS‭ ‬21‭ (‬5‭)‬:‭ ‬451‭–‬65.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jean-Bernard Caron‭ & ‬Donald A.‭ ‬Jackson.‭

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