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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Oldest Horseshoe Crab Fossils Found in Canada


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A newfound fossil species of horseshoe crab (left) dates back at least 455 million years—roughly a hundred million years earlier than horseshoe crabs were previously thought to exist.

The ancient animal is remarkably similar to modern horseshoe crabs (right), according to the team that found the fossils in Manitoba, Canada.

Photograph courtesy G. Young, the Manitoba Museum (left); D. Rudkin, Royal Ontario Museum (right)