Alternate Cambrian Explosion - Loricifera

For primer information on the Loricifera, look here:

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In the modern day, in this alternate Cambrian scenario, the Loriciferans barely resemble their ancestors, for one, some forms have eyes and are shelled, free-swimming predators, as we see here.


Some related forms drift via buoyant pouches of oil contained inside their bodies.

Others bear tentacles but no eyes, and come in both armored and soft bodied varieties, almost resembling jellyfish.

Some free-swimming forms became roving parasites that search for a host to sip fluids from, like a lamprey or mosquito:

Some kinds settled on the seafloor and came to occupy niches filled in earth by echinoderms and gastropods.

Some of these gave rise to sessile fixed forms that resemble bivalves in their niche:

Other kinds became burrowers, that even managed to colonize the underground realms of terrestrial ecosystems. Some even became burrowing ambush predators.

All in all, these forms came to diverge widely from their tiny ancestors, and became a group which converged upon the shapes and niches taken on our earth by varied invertebrate groups.

All images, designs and writing on this blog are the property of Timothy Donald Morris, do not use, reproduce, or copy them without my permission.
© Timothy Donald Morris 2021

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