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Australia: The Land Where Time Began |
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Cambrian Explosion - Fossils of the Explosion
with Bilateral Body Plans During the Cambrian explosion the bilaterians, that
had circulatory systems, and mostly fluid skeletons, entered the fossil
record in large numbers. Larger animals generally fossilise more easily,
and, as the authors1 point out, part of the explosive
appearance of these fossils represents a significant increase in
metazoan body size that is independent, in many different lineages, as
suggested by the clear linkage between fluid skeletons, blood-vascular
systems and larger body sizes. Stiff integuments and mineralised
skeletons evolved in response to the need for more structured support
for larger bodies, though skeletons must have also provided a degree of
protection from predators, as well as broadening the bilaterians
taphonomic window.
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Author: M.H.Monroe Email: admin@austhrutime.com Sources & Further reading |