Is This The World’s Oldest Worm Species?

Bridging an evolutionary gap spanning dozens of millions of years.

Transcript

00:00This is what scientists say is the first worm species to have ever slithered around the

00:08earth.

00:09It was recently discovered in Arizona, an area that 220 million years ago, when the

00:13worm was still alive, was once covered in tropical forests and rivers.

00:17A more hospitable climate for a creature like that.

00:20And researchers are now saying that it's a much more significant find than just cataloging

00:24a new worm species.

00:25They say it could be a missing link in an evolutionary timeline.

00:28A big reason for this is that worms aren't prime candidates for fossilization, as they

00:32lack things like bones and shells that are ripe for calcification.

00:35So what evolutionary gap does this specimen bridge?

00:38Well, an 87 million year one, connecting worms with modern day amphibians.

00:43Ben Kligman, a doctoral student who was part of the fossil's discovery, says modern day

00:47worms are basically limbless amphibians.

00:49And somewhere around when this thing lived, and now, the two classes of species separated.

00:54In fact, the worm-like creature that impressed this fossil wasn't even a ground dweller like

00:58worms today.

00:59The ability to dig happened much later, meaning this creature likely lived in trees, much

01:02like modern amphibians.