Ancient fossil discovered in Canada shows a moth-like predator with three eyes

Fossil Discovery of Moth-like Predator in Canada

Paleontologists have recently uncovered a 560 million-year-old predator resembling a moth in Canada’s ancient history. The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) announced that they’ve named this creature Mothrafentoni.

The fossils, primarily found in Raymond Quarry within Yoho National Park in British Columbia, were collected over several years, from 1975 to 2022.

According to the museum, Mothrafentoni was about the size of an index finger, featuring three eyes, an intriguing articulated claw, and a circular mouth filled with teeth. Its body had side flaps that seemingly assisted in swimming.

This species is believed to belong to a group known as Radiodonts, which also includes the notable Anomalocaris canadensis, a meter-long predator that coexisted with Mothrafentoni.

What stands out in this discovery is Mothra’s segmented body structure at the abdomen, which consisted of around 16 segments lined with gills. Joe Moiszk, a curator at the Manitoba Museum, notes that this design may show a fascinating example of evolutionary convergence, linking it to modern creatures like horseshoe crabs and insects.

The fossils also reveal remarkable details about Mothrafentoni’s internal systems, including its nervous and digestive systems. Uniquely, instead of traditional arteries and veins, it had a heart that pumped blood into a large internal cavity known as a lacuna.

Jean-Bernard Caron, a curator at ROM, mentioned how rare it is to find fossil sites that provide such intricate views into soft internal anatomy. “We can see hints of bundles of eyes that likely played a role in processing images, much like current arthropods,” he remarked, expressing excitement over the discovery.

Mothrafentoni was dubbed “sea figures” by collectors, likely due to its features resembling moths. This also inspired its name, referencing the fictional Japanese monster Mothra. Interestingly, despite the name, it’s quite distinct from spiders, crabs, and millipedes—all members of the broader group known as arthropods.