Vetulicola cuneata

3D Model

Yunnan Province, China, ~518 million years old.

Vetulicola had a large body with triangular pouches on either side and a segmented tail for swimming. The pouches may be gill slits opening into an internal body chamber, as found in modern tunicates, such as sea squirts and salps. It is thought that Vetulicola fed by drawing water in through the wide frontal opening to internally filter microscopic food particles suspended in water, with waste water expelled through the side pouches.

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