A strange 525 million-year-old fossil creature is baffling
scientists because it does not fit neatly into any existing
animal groups. The animal, from the early Cambrian Period, might
have belonged to a now extinct mollusc-like phylum, academics
from America and China say. Other researchers have suggested the
creature could represent an early annelid or arthropod. Details
are published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The 5-10cm-
long (2-4 inch) fossil, from Anning in China, had a flattened
body and horizontal fins which, researchers think, could have
been used to support it as it moved along the sea floor. It also
had well developed senses, including a pair of eyes on stalks.
The trouble is the animal, named Vetustodermis planus, did not
possess a set of features, or characters, which placed it
clearly within any known group. When it was first described in
1979, Vetustodermis was included in the annelid category. Later
researchers argued against this classification, saying it was,
in fact, either an art