The Cambrian Explosion

The Cambrian explosion was a relatively short evolutionary event which occurred approximately 543 million years ago during the Cambrian period. The Cambrian explosion It is referred to as an explosion because it was during the Cambrian period where there was a mass increase of many different multicellular eukaryotic organisms. Fox Douglas, author of What Sparked the Cambrian Explosion, described the Cambrian explosion as an “evolutionary burst 540 million years ago that filled the seas with an astonishing diversity of animals”. This evolutionary event is believed to have caused the development of an immense amount of many different species whom developed below the water surface. It was during the Cambrian explosion where all but one of the

Many scientists believe vision played an instrumental role during the Cambrian period and believe it to be the only thing that triggered the explosion. Before the Cambrian period, microorganisms could only sense light. With the development of eyes, predators could precisely target and catch their prey. For example, the five eyed Opabinia was a small critter that had five eyes making it very effective to target its prey. As a direct result of this ecological relationship between predator and prey, many soft bodies, organisms were forced to create difference defensive mechanism such as hard shells, scales, and spikes to cover the outside of the body as well as spinal cord and different swimming parts enabling them to swim rapidly away from predators. The Hallucigenia was a sea creature that lived during the Cambrian period. The Hallucigenia had two rows of spines on one side of its body, which prevented or fended off predators such as the Anomalocaris, which according to the Nation Geographic was at the top of the food chain during the Cambrian period. The Anomalocaris used its fearsome mouthpart line with hooks which enabled it easily catch its prey. Researchers have speculated that based on the eye spots, these animals developed, it allows them to adapt much easily to the dangers and the threats their habitat has to

Scientists have also discovered that there are many animals that have descended from animals during the Cambrian era, such as the burgess shale. According to an article from PBS, it states that “As alien as these creatures seem, they are also surprisingly familiar. All the basic body plans found in nature today are here: bodies with heads, tails, and appendages, all specialized segments performing specialized functions. All animal evolution for the last half billion years has come from tinkering with these Cambrian body plans.”. The Cambrian explosion is an event that is very important, not only to sea creatures, but to humans as well, which historically many people aren’t familiar with. There are many theories that allow us to understand and piece together the whole idea of what the Cambrian explosion actually ended up being. Although there is no clear cut evidence of what actually causes the Cambrian explosion to occur, all scientists have agreed that without the explosion during the Cambrian era many of the earth modern animals would not have come into