Opabinia

Opabinia was a stem group arthropod from the Cambrian-age deposits of the Burgess Shale.

Description
Opabinia was a small creature, measuring from 4 to 7 centimeters in length. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is its proboscis, which was tipped with a pincer-like structure. Opabinia also possessed five eyes attached to small stalks. Its eyes are often restored as being compound, although this is completely speculative.

Classification
The taxonomic location of Opabinia is still debated, but current thinking places it as a stem group arthropod. Several species have been named over the years, but only the type, O. regalis, remains valid today.

Discovery
Opabinia was first discovered in the Burgess Shale, and it was described by Charles Walcott in 1912. Sometime around 1966, Harry B. Whittington discovered a particularly well-preserved specimen and realized the bizarre nature of the animal. When he first explained his analysis in a public presentation, the audience laughed at the strange appearance of the creature.

Paleobiology
Due to the way they are preserved, most animals of the Burgess Shale likely lived on the sea floor. Since there is no trace of jaws on Opabinia, its food was probably small and soft.