Burgessochaeta
Background information on the Burgess Shale and the Cambrian in General
EiffeliaThis is a complex globular sponge with a body supported by six-rayed calcareous spicules in various sizes.
CanadiaThis segmented marine worm has bristle-like appendages on each segment which resemble feathers. The head has a pair of appendages which are curved backwards. The digestive tract can be seen passing along the mid-line of the body.
Burgessochaeta
Note the pair of appendages on the head, and the segmented body with paired bristle-like biramous (branching into two) appendages.
Ottoia Priapulid worm. Note the anterior proboscis (on the left) and the dark trace of the interior digestive tract. Ottoia was carnivorous.
Aysheaia - a lobe-limbed, segmented animal. Also note the spines on the legs. The head end has a pair of tapering limbs with spines, and three small projections near the mouth. Traces of the digestive tract can also be seen.
Hallucigenia sparsa
Note the paired spines (now interpreted to stick up on the dorsal side - or back), and the slightly curved legs. Caterpillar-like.
Olenoides serratus - Trilobite
Details of the soft parts of trilobite legs. Note the biramous appendages with walking legs and feather-like gills.
Marrella splendens
Called the "lace crab" by Walcott, Marrella is the most abundant type of animal in the Burgess Shale. More than 15,000 have been collected.
Canadaspis perfecta
EchmatocrinusThe earliest known crinoid. Note the difference between the stem of this specimen and that of later crinoids.
PikaiaThe earliest representative of Phylum Chordata. See the notochord near the dorsal surface. It was a swimmer, but it is not a vertebrate. The rib-like features are muscles.
Opabinia regalis
Note the eyes and the proboscis on the head. Note the paddle-like projections at the posterior end of the body.
Wiwaxia
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This page created by Pamela J. W. Gore
November 12, 1996
Modified February 18, 2004