Worm's 550 million year old "Death March" could be the oldest known wildlife trail, says study

According to a new study, the fossil of a worm that lived 550 million years ago could be the oldest known evidence of an animal walking on the surface of the Earth.

The research, which was published in Nature, examines the "death march" of Yilingia spiciformis, which means "bristling bug of Yiling" in Chinese. The researchers suggest that animals have been walking since the Ediacaran era, which began 635 million years ago, earlier than expected.

"This discovery shows that segmented and mobile animals evolved 550 million years ago," said one of the co-authors of the study, Shuhai Xiao, professor of geoscience at Virginia Tech, in a statement obtained by Fox News. "Mobility has allowed animals to create a unique footprint on Earth, both metaphorically and literally."

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Xiao continued, "These are the kinds of features that are found in a group of animals called bilaterans, which includes us and most animals, and animals, especially humans, play a driving role on the Earth finally linked to the origin of animal motility ".

Y. spiciformis had a thin body, up to 4 inches in length, 1 inch in width and was composed of 50 symmetrical segments. Discovery in the Yangtze Gorge, China, with 34 other fossils of the same species, say researchers Y. spiciformis is related to a group of anthropodes including crustaceans and centipedes or annelids.

In contrast, according to National Geographic, modern earthworms typically measure a few inches long, but in some cases their growth can reach 14 inches.

Rachel Wood, a professor at the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, who did not participate in the study, said: "It is all about". a remarkable discovery of extremely significant fossils. We now have evidence that segmented animals were present and had acquired the ability to cross the seabed before the Cambrian, and more specifically we can trace the trace manufacturer. Such preservation is unusual and provides considerable insight on a major stage in the evolution of animals. "

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