Urokodia! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider's bite
A 518-million-year-old fossil is rewriting the history of spider evolution
📍 Aftermath
Fossils of the ancient sea creature Urokodia provided the earliest evidence of spider fangs, dating back 518 million years. This discovery shed light on the origin of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata.
Epilogue added 21d ago, after coverage quieted.
Quick answers
What is Urokodia?
Urokodia is an ancient sea creature whose fossil shows the earliest evidence of spider fangs.
How old is the Urokodia fossil?
The Urokodia fossil is 518 million years old.
What does this discovery tell us about spider evolution?
The discovery of Urokodia pushes back the origins of spider fangs by millions of years, providing new insights into the evolution of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata.
The brief
A fossil of Urokodia, an ancient sea creature, has revealed the earliest known evidence of spider fangs. The discovery pushes back the origins of spider fangs by millions of years.
Coverage from ScienceAlert, Sci.News, IFLScience, The Conversation, Nature and Phys.org emphasizes the significance of this fossil in understanding the evolution of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata. The Conversation discusses the fear factor associated with spider fangs.
Watch for further analysis on how this discovery fits into the broader context of arthropod evolution. Coverage does not yet specify whether additional fossils of Urokodia have been found.
Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 25d ago.
Sources (6)
- Earliest Evidence of Spider Fangs Discovered in Half-Billion-Year-Old Fossils ScienceAlert · 27d ago
- Ancient Sea Creature Pushes Back Origins of Spider Fangs to 518 Million Years Ago Sci.News · 27d ago
- How Did Spiders Get Their Bite? 518-Million-Year-Old Funky Fossil Is Earliest Evidence Yet Of Spider Fangs IFLScience · 27d ago
- Spider fangs are one of their scariest features The Conversation · 27d ago
- Urokodia sheds light on the origin of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata Nature · 27d ago
- Urokodia! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider's bite Phys.org · 27d ago
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