437-Million-Year-Old Leeches Rewrite Evolution History
A remarkable discovery in Wisconsin has shed new light on the ancient history of leeches. A team of researchers, led by Dieter Korn, has unearthed a 437 million-year-old leech fossil, predating previous estimates by over 100 million years. The find, published in PeerJ, challenges our understanding of these creatures' early evolution.
The fossil, named Macromyzon siluricus, was discovered in the Waukesha Lagerstätte fossil deposit, a site that once was a shallow tropical sea teeming with life like trilobites and horseshoe crabs. The unique conditions at this site allowed for the rare preservation of soft-bodied creatures like leeches.
The discovery pushes back the origins of leeches and their relatives to the Paleozoic Era. Korn and his team suggest that the earliest leeches roamed the oceans, devouring soft-bodied invertebrates whole or siphoning their fluids. This challenges the previous hypothesis that the earliest leeches were freshwater organisms. The find also provides a new calibration point for molecular clock studies.
The fossil of Macromyzon siluricus is the oldest known leech fossil, offering valuable insights into the early evolution of these creatures. Korn's discovery not only pushes back the origins of leeches but also sheds light on the diverse ecosystems of the ancient oceans.
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