Search Here

An exquisitely preserved, 500 million-year-old fish could be the common ancestor of all jawed vertebrates including bony fish, birds, reptiles and humans, according to a new study.

The study is suggesting that the fossilized fish called Metaspriggina, equipping characteristic gill structures might have evolved into jawbones in jawed vertebrates. 

"For the first time, we are able to say this is really close to this hypothetical ancestor that was drawn based on a study of modern organisms in the 19th century," said study co-author Jean-Bernard Caron, a paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, in the press release. 

The creature is believed to have lived during a period from 543 million to 493 million years ago, which is also known as the Cambrian Explosion, the evolutionary "big bang" when almost all complex life appeared.

"The direction of the eyes would have allowed them to see what was happening above them, which means they were probably living at the bottom, and may have even been able to evade the large predators of the day, such as the bizarre shrimplike sea monster anomalocaridid," Caron added.

"The Government of Canada is excited about this incredible fossil find. As an international leader in conservation and steward of the Burgess Shale, Parks Canada is pleased to provide its research partners with access to the fossils. Their remarkable discoveries inform the work we do to share this rich natural history through our popular guided hikes, and to protect this important Canadian heritage in a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site," noted David Wilks, Member of Canadian Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia, as quoted by Science 2.0. 

The study has been published in the journal Nature.