New Oldest Parasite

[Scylla]

Well, not oldest but earliest. Parasite attached to brachiopods

 

https://www.livescience.com/cambrian-parasites.html

[Tidgy's Dad]

How fascinating! 

Me want! 

(not the parasitic infestation, but a specimen of the brachiopod hash in question) 

[FossilNerd]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[Oxytropidoceras]

The open access paper is:

 

Zhang, Z., Strotz, L.C., Topper, T.P., Chen, F., 

Chen, Y., Liang, Y., Zhang, Z., Skovsted, C.B. 

and Brock, G.A., 2020. An encrusting 

kleptoparasite-host interaction from the 

early Cambrian. Nature Communications, 11(1), pp.1-7.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16332-3

 

Yours,

 

Paul H.