Friday, July 22, 2011

Parapeytoia.

Parapeytoia (para-puh-TOY-uh) was a weird genus of anomalocarid from the Cambrian Period. It probably ate animals such as trilobites, priapulid worms, and annelid worms. Its fossils have been found in China and are not well preserved.


Since Parapeytoia had legs, it probably spent most of its time crawling around on the bottom in search of prey. Scientists don't know if Parapeytoia was either related to anomalicarids like Anomalocaris and Amplectobelua, or if it was related to anomalocarids like Yohoia and Haikoucaris. But what is clear is that it was an anomalocarid because it had claws for grabbing prey, a "pineapple ring" mouth, and swimming lobes along the side.


Parapeytoia was probably one of the top predators, like other anomalocarids, but it still wasn't the top predator because it would have been good prey for bigger anomalocarids, like Anomalocaris.

Unlike other anomalocarids, Parapeytoia's claws were more like hands. Parapeytoia probably did not need to keep crunching its prey with its claws before eating. It would only have to tear it apart with its pinchers and then eat it.

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