Haikouichthys
Period of life:
518 mya
Period:
Habitat:
Marine environment
Taxonomy:
Chordates
Height:
0.01 m
Countries:
Haikouichthys
(518 mya)
Meaning of the name: Fish from the Haikou locality (near Kunming city, China)
Haikouichthys is a genus of fossilized primitive jawless animals described from Cambrian deposits in the Chinese province of Yunnan. It lived in the seas about 518 million years ago. It is worth noting that despite the word "fish" in its name, Haikouichthys was not a fish or even a vertebrate animal. It was a small marine animal, reaching about 2.5 cm in length. Along its back was a cartilaginous structure - a notochord, a precursor to the true vertebral column. For this reason, scientists classify it as a chordate animal but do not include it in the vertebrate subphylum. Haikouichthys also had a clearly defined head and tail. In the front part, primitive eyes were clearly visible, followed by six or possibly nine gill slits. A continuous fin extended along the back and tail. Haikouichthys' skin was bare, without scales, possibly covered in slime. Judging by its small size and unique body shape, Haikouichthys were poor swimmers. Scientists believe that these animals mostly stayed near the seabed, where they collected small food particles.
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