STANSW Science Education News Journal 2019 2019 SEN Vol 68 Issue 3 | Seite 45

ARTICLES
A giant species of Trilobite inhabited Australian waters half a billion years ago (continued)
It was originally thought poo fossils such as these were produced
by the giant Cambrian predator Anomalocaris – a metre-long
beast with two strange claws in the head and a circular, vampire-
toothed mouth, but it now seems likely that Redlichia rex produced
some of these. defence and attack, such as the development of shell-crushing
Consistent with this idea, some specimens of Redlichia rex
show injuries resulting from attack. These may also be from
Anomalocaris, although it is possible that Redlichia rex indulged
in cannibalism, or possibly took part in territorial battles (as is
seen in modern lobsters). for small creatures on the Cambrian seafloor.
Once animals began to eat each other, the selective pressure
to adapt methods to prevent being eaten would have been very
high. This is almost certainly the main reason why hard shells
evolved in the Cambrian – for protection against predation. The
result would have been an evolutionary arms-race between
predators and prey, with each developing more efficient ways of been written by academics or PhD students who are experts in
abilities in certain animals.
The formidable appendages of Redlichia rex are probably a
result of this, and this giant trilobite was likely a source of terror
The Science Teachers’ Association of NSW and “Science
Education News” are most grateful to ‘The Conversation’ for
encouraging republication of its fine articles, all of which having
their fields. SEN also thanks the authors of this article, James
Holmes, Dr Diego García-Bellido, and Dr John Paterson, for their
endorsement of their policy, as well for this fascinating article. –
Ed.
45
SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 3