The First Apex Predators on Earth (that we know of)! 🦐 GEO GIRL

The first predator on Earth looked a lot different than predators on Earth today! These huge arthropods, called Anomalocarids, lived in Cambrian seas about 500 million years ago! They reached sizes much larger than other organisms at the time and acted as the apex predators in Earth's very first complex ecosystems. Before the Ediacaran period and Cambrian Explosion, animals did not exist yet. Sure, microbes ate other microbes on this early, 'pre-animal' Earth, but there was no real predation until animals came along. Animals evolved before the Cambrian, in the Ediacaran, but these first animals did not seem to have the complex hierarchy ecosystems that we see later during and after the Cambrian explosion. The Cambrian explosion marked not only a remarkable diversification of animal life, but also an increase in skeletons, shells, and other hard parts. This 'skeletonization' of life was likely in part allowed by changes in ocean chemistry, but the ultimate driver of this increase in organisms with hard parts was predation. Hard parts provide organisms with protection from predation which, until this time, had not been a threat. However, during the Cambrian explosion, Anomalocarids evolved, which changed everything! Hope you enjoy the video ;) GEO GIRL Website: https://www.geogirlscience.com/ (visit my website to see all my courses, shop merch, learn more about me, & donate to support the channel if you'd like!) 0:00 Ediacaran Fauna & Cambrian Explosion 1:26 First Predators on Earth 2:14 Their Methods of Predation 4:20 Their Diversity 4:43 Their Surprisingly Short Time Range 5:23 Resulting Evolutionary Adaptations 8:33 Why Did They Go Extinct? 11:35 What Types of Predators Followed? 12:59 Lasting Impact of the First Predators References: Prothero, 2013 (Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology), & references therein: https://amzn.to/3nU0ada Earth System History: https://amzn.to/3v1Iy0G Daley & Edgecombe, 2014 (Morphology of Anomalocaris canadensis from the Burgess Shale): https://doi.org/10.1666/13-067 Briggs & Fortey, 2005 (Wonderful strife: systematics, stem groups, and the phylogenetic signal of the Cambrian radiation): https://doi.org/10.1666/0094-8373(200...[0094:WSSSGA]2.0.CO;2 Gaines et al., 2008 (Cambrian Burgess Shale–type deposits share a common mode of fossilization): https://doi.org/10.1130/G24961A.1 Potin & Daley, 2023 (The significance of Anomalocaris and other Radiodonta for understanding paleoecology and evolution during the Cambrian explosion): https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.11... Vannier & Chen, 2000 (Early Cambrian food chain: new evidence from fossil aggregates in the Maotianshan Shale biota, SW China): https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2003.p03-40 Vinther et al., 2014 (A suspension-feeding anomalocarid from the early Cambrian. Nature): https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13010 Yang et al., 2020 (Anomalocaridid trunk limb homology revealed by a giant filter-feeder with paired flaps. Nature): https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14256 Hey there, Earth enthusiast! Check my favorite Earth-friendly products: Bamboo toilet paper: https://shrsl.com/3cvku Bamboo paper towels: https://shrsl.com/3cvkw Compostable tableware: https://shrsl.com/3cvkz Compostable trash bags: https://shrsl.com/3cvl0 Bamboo cutlery + straw! : https://shrsl.com/3cwfl Eco-Friendly Tote (great for grocery shopping!): https://shrsl.com/3cwfp Reusable straws + cleaning brushes (my fav!): https://shrsl.com/3cwft Eco-friendly laundry detergent: https://shrsl.com/3cwgo Directly offset your carbon footprint with Wren: https://shrsl.com/3d0t2 (Just click link, press get started, take the free C footprint quiz, then choose how much you want to reduce your footprint by donating to the C sequestration projects they're funding!) Non-textbook books I recommend: Oxygen by D. Canfield: https://amzn.to/3gffbCL Brief history of Earth by A. Knoll: https://amzn.to/3w3hC1I Life on young planet by A. Knoll: https://amzn.to/2RBMpny Some assembly required by N. Shubin: https://amzn.to/3w1Ezm2 Your inner fish by N. Shubin: https://amzn.to/3cpw3Wb Oxygen by N. Lane: https://amzn.to/3z4FgwZ Alien Oceans by K. Hand: https://amzn.to/3clMx1l Life's Engines: https://amzn.to/3w1Nhke Tools I use as a geologist/teacher/student: Geology field notebook: https://amzn.to/3lb6dJf Geology rock hammer: https://amzn.to/3DZw8MA Geological compass: https://amzn.to/3hfbdLu Geological hand lens: https://amzn.to/3jXysM5 Camera: https://amzn.to/3l6fGRT Carbon-neutral pencil bag: https://shrsl.com/3cvjv Carbon-neutral backpack: https://shrsl.com/3cvkc Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week! And as always, let me know your topic suggestions in the comments down below!