Burgess Shale fossil site gives up oldest evidence of brood care
Thursday, December 17, 2015 - 15:47
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Researchers have discovered the oldest direct evidence of brood care, with the identification of eggs containing preserved embryos in fossils of the 508-million-year-old Waptia fieldensis. Recent analysis of specimens of the shrimp-like creature found in the renowned Canadian Burgess Shale fossil deposit more than a century ago, revealed clusters of egg-shaped objects located on the underside of a bivalved carapace alongside the anterior third of the body.