Pikaia
Pikaia is an extinct genus of prehistoric lancelet. It is regarded as the earliest known primitive chordate from the Middle Cambrian fossil found near Mount Pika in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia. It was discovered by Charles Walcott in 1911. Walcott classified it as a polychaete worm. It was about 40 mm in length and swam above the sea-floor. Pikaia may have filtered particles from the water as it swam along. Only 60 specimens have been found to date.
| Pikaia Temporal range: Mid Cambrian
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| Genus: | Pikaia
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Pikaia Media
Fossil of Pikaia gracilens (Syntype USNM PAL 57628)
Previous anatomical reconstruction of Pikaia gracilens based on Conway Morris & Caron (2012)
Anatomical reconstruction of Pikaia gracilens (F, G) compared to Yunnanozoon (E) after Mussini et al. (2024)
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