Early Arthropod Fossils Imaged in the IPCH Digitization Lab

Detailed glimpse of an intricate filter feeding apparatus of Aegirocassis benmoulae. Image credit: Peter Van Roy, Yale University
March 19, 2015

This past summer, Peter Van Roy, an Associate Research Scientist at the Department of Geology and Geophysics took high-resolution images of early arthropod fossils in the IPCH Digitization Lab on the West Campus. These images were in support of research and publication centered on the discovery of a new species of anomalocaridid, Aegirocassis benmoulae, a giant filter feeding sea creature from the Early Ordovician (ca 480 million years old). The fossils were unearthed in southeastern Morocco, a region to which the Yale Peabody Museum has been conducting expeditions since 2009. Peter’s images aided research and reconstruction, which have recently been unveiled in the form of a publication in Nature. Peter also worked closely with a renowned natural history artist, Marianne Collins, to bring the vision of this strange creature to life!

Artistic rendering of Aegirocassis benmoulae filter feeding on a plankton cloud. © Marianne Collins/ArtofFact

Click here to read the blog entry about the project