Giant Prehistoric Worm Discovered

Together with a researcher in Canada and a researcher in England, Eriksson got wind of the fossil in question. By then, the worm remains had lain undiscovered for several years in a museum in Toronto, after rock samples were collected during fieldwork in 1994 in the province of Ontario.

The gigantic worm species, called Websteroprion armstrongi, lived in the sea. But what it fed on is uncertain. Considering its jaws, researchers believe that it may have been both a predator and a scavenger.

Photo: Luke Parry

An interesting aspect of the finding is that it shows that gigantism existed as early as 400 million years ago. Gigantism is a phenomenon in evolution, where an unusually large body can lead to a competitive advantage over other species.

“Our study shows that this phenomenon of gigantism seems to have been limited to a certain evolutionary branch among jawed worms”, says Mats Eriksson.

A several hundred million year-old worm can thus contribute to knowledge of both animal life on Earth in the past and of evolution as a process. In the long run, this type of palaeontological knowledge is very important when trying to understand and conserve biodiversity today, according to Mats Eriksson.

The three researchers behind the present study are fond of music, and have therefore named the worm after a bassist in an American hard rock band, Alex Webster.

Contacts and sources:
Mats Eriksson, professor Department of Geology