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165 / Paleozoic
Marrella
Marrella splendens
Two pairs of curved head spines, long antennae and dozens of fine legs made this two-centimeter arthropod exquisitely elaborate.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 508 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Cambrian
- Geographic range
- Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Marrella?
This archive records Marrella under the scientific name Marrella splendens, with an age of About 508 million years ago and a range of Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada. Two pairs of curved head spines, long antennae and dozens of fine legs made this two-centimeter arthropod exquisitely elaborate.
Marrella is among the most common Burgess Shale animals. It probably moved near the seafloor and through the water, feeding on soft organic particles while segmented limbs handled walking, swimming and respiration.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Marrella at a glance
- Scientific name
- Marrella splendens
- Age
- About 508 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- Middle Cambrian
- Known range
- Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada
- Broad group
- invertebrate
- Archive era
- Paleozoic
- Habitat signals
- Ocean
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Marrella built?
Overall body plan
Two pairs of curved head spines, long antennae and dozens of fine legs made this two-centimeter arthropod exquisitely elaborate.
Body symmetry and segmentation
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Marrella, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Feeding and locomotor structures
Marrella is among the most common Burgess Shale animals. It probably moved near the seafloor and through the water, feeding on soft organic particles while segmented limbs handled walking, swimming and respiration.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Marrella.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Marrella live?
Marrella is among the most common Burgess Shale animals. It probably moved near the seafloor and through the water, feeding on soft organic particles while segmented limbs handled walking, swimming and respiration. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on substrate, water chemistry, food supply and ecological competition. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Marrella live?
This archive currently lists About 508 million years ago; Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 508 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as Middle Cambrian. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Ocean. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Marrella?
Primary record
Tens of thousands of compressed specimens preserve antennae, spines, legs, gills, gut traces and even individuals caught moulting.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Marrella within About 508 million years ago and Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Marrella disappear?
Changing Cambrian communities and depositional settings eventually removed this distinctive marrellomorph lineage from its ecosystem.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Marrella FAQ
What was Marrella?
This archive records Marrella under the scientific name Marrella splendens, with an age of About 508 million years ago. Two pairs of curved head spines, long antennae and dozens of fine legs made this two-centimeter arthropod exquisitely elaborate.
When did Marrella live?
The current archive range is About 508 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is Middle Cambrian.
Where was Marrella found?
The archive currently lists Offshore slope of Laurentia · Burgess Shale, Canada. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Marrella?
Tens of thousands of compressed specimens preserve antennae, spines, legs, gills, gut traces and even individuals caught moulting.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS