Most fossils are bones or hard body parts such as teeth or exoskeletons, while the brain and nerves are made of fat-like material that is usually not living. Stanleycaris fossils were collected from the Burgess Shale – a deposit containing fossils exposed in the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia – in the 1980s and 1990s. They show that Stanley Karis’ brain consisted of two halves – instead of three as in today’s insects – shedding new light on the evolution of the arthropod brain, vision, and head structure. In a study of more than 250 Stanley Cares fossil specimens dating back 506 million years, they found that the brain and central nervous system were still preserved in 84 fossils. It belongs to an extinct branch of the evolutionary tree of ancient arthropods called Radiodonta – closely related to modern insects and spiders.ĭespite Stanleycaris’ odd appearance, it is the contents of his head that intrigue scientists. Stanley Karis lived during the Cambrian “explosion” – the period of rapid evolution in which most of the major animal groups appear in the fossil record. It has two eyes on two legs, a third eye in the center of its head, a beautiful round mouth with teeth, and forelegs with an impressive array of spines. The creature, called Stanleycaris hirpex, was described as “the stuff of nightmares.”
The fossil brain of a three-eyed shrimp-like creature that swam in the ocean 500 million years ago may prompt rethinking of the evolution of insects and spiders.
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