Scientists discover new Wisconsin myriapod species revealing early land adaptation
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 5
Scientists discover new Wisconsin myriapod species revealing early land adaptation
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 5
The fossils, found in a Waukesha quarry near Milwaukee and dating to about 437 million years ago, were described Tuesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Lead author Derek Briggs of Yale said the animal’s streamlined, segmented legs show myriapods were already suited to terrestrial life before fully leaving aquatic environments.
The find helps address a sparse fossil record for early myriapods, a group now comprising about 13,000 centipede, millipede and related species across nearly every land habitat.
While ancient life moved to land, some spiders are returning to sea. What does this reveal about evolution?
If ancient millipedes were ready for land, what awaited them in a world dominated by bizarre, 8-meter-tall organisms?
Why are the descendants of Earth's first land pioneers now so vulnerable to modern cities and forests?