Mosura fentoni

Researchers have recently identified Mosura fentoni, a prehistoric marine predator with three eyes that roamed the oceans around 506 million years ago.

Overview of Mosura fentoni

Mosura fentoni is a now-extinct member of the radiodonts, an ancient group of early arthropods that thrived during the Cambrian period. This species is named after “Mothra,” the legendary kaiju from Japanese pop culture, due to its resemblance to a hovering moth and its unusual physical traits.

Fossils of Mosura fentoni were predominantly uncovered in the Burgess Shale, a fossil-rich deposit in the Canadian Rockies known for its extraordinary preservation of soft-bodied organisms. This discovery sheds new light on the unexpected diversity and evolutionary innovations among early arthropods, providing rare insight into their internal structures and parallel evolution with modern arthropods.

Important Characteristics of Mosura fentoni

• Era: Existed roughly 506 million years ago, during the Cambrian period.
• Taxonomy: A member of Radiodonta, an extinct group that also includes the well-known Anomalocaris.
• Size: Comparable in length to a human index finger.
• Vision: Featured three eyes—two on the sides and a larger central eye—suggesting highly developed visual abilities for its era.
• Body Structure: Had a streamlined, trunk-like body equipped with side flaps used for swimming, much like the motion of modern-day rays.
• Segmented Tail Region: Unlike other radiodonts, it possessed a rear section made up of 16 tightly arranged segments, each bearing gills. This distinctive structure may have improved respiratory efficiency and represents an evolutionary parallel to present-day arthropods such as insects and horseshoe crabs.
• Breathing Mechanism: Relied on gills located at the back of its body for respiration—a trait not previously observed in related species.