Amplectobelua symbrachiata

3D Model

Yunnan Province, China, ~518 million years old.

One of the largest of the Chengjiang animals, Amplectobelua was a top predator that used wide body flaps to swim above the sea floor, helped by a stabilising tail fan, with large stalked eyes used to spot prey. It had two spiny frontal appendages for grasping and holding prey, with three pairs of shorter tooth-like appendages used to shred food as it was passed towards the mouth opening.

Created for the First Animals exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History: www.oum.ox.ac.uk/firstanimals

Model by Mighty Fossils: www.mightyfossils.com