[Rockhounds] Fossilized chain formations reveal community behavior

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

"A new fossil find reveals that in an ancient arthropod species, no  
animal was an island.

The discovery of 525-million-year-old fossils belonging to a new  
species of arthropod shows that these animals formed communal chains  
never before seen in fossilized invertebrates, scientists report in the  
Oct. 10 Science.

These arthropods, a genus that includes lobsters, beetles and  
tarantulas, were found in sturdy chain configurations in southern  
China’s Chengjiang Lagerstätte, a treasure trove of fossils often  
compared to Canada’s Burgess Shale. In the chain formations, each  
animal faced the same way, with its tail latched onto the carapace of  
the individual behind. This unique fossil configuration provides  
evidence that these arthropods did not act as solitary beings, the  
authors report".

The rest of the story, and pictures, is at

	http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37463/title/ 
New_arthropod_species_really_stuck_together

And yes, 'genus' probably should have been 'phylum' in the last  
paragraph above. 'nuff said about most science writers. But it is an  
interesting article and most of the facts seem correct. Why did they  
chain seems to be the big question.

These Cambrian sea critters probably joined together to migrate, as the  
long formation could have been a significantly better swimmer from the  
ability to flex the long profile -- more fishlike over simple paddling.

At least that is my 2 cents. Any other ideas?

Kreigh