A fossil site in the Canadian Rockies that provides a wondrous peek into life on Earth more than half a billion years ago has offered up the remains of an intriguing sea creature, a four-eyed arthropod predator that wielded a pair of spiky claws.
Scientists said on Friday they had unearthed nicely preserved fossils in British Columbia of the 508-million-year-old animal, named Yawunik kootenayi, which looked like a big shrimp and was one of the largest predators of its time.
Including its claws, Yawunik measured about 9 inches (22.5 cm) long. Most creatures at the time were much smaller.