Seriously though, what the hell is that? The Opabinia regalis is like some kind of biochemical accident. Experts think that it had a five-eyed face and swam along the sea floor with a segmented body made up of downward pointing flaps and gills. However, it has been noted that its complete lack of an exoskeleton may have resulted in their carcasses being squashed before fossilisation took place. As a result, it's difficult to know how flat it actually was. Sticking out in front of the opabinia regalis like some sort of nightmarish trunk was a clawed proboscis (the same thing mosquitoes use to suck your blood). Contrary to the artist's impression above, this structure was thought to be striated like the hose of a vacuum cleaner. It's kind of like a prehistoric undersea version of the Teletubbies' Noo-Noo. The pincer on the end would root around the sea floor and grab food, which it would then place into a mouth on the underside. But come on. Five eyes? Even spiders make the effort to have an even number of them and their faces are infamously weird. What the hell was going on when this thing was created? It's not just me being narrow-minded either; this thing is so odd that even top class taxonomists can't agree on an actual classification for it. Nobody knows what to make of this freak. The number one spot goes to the thing that's befuddled expert scientists and is so weird-looking that I can't describe it without using the words "striated proboscis". Did you enjoy this article? Show your appreciation in the comments. You could write for What Culture Science! Click here to find out how you could get paid to write about what you love.If science gives you the warm fuzzies, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay up to date.
Peter Austin initially joined WhatCulture as an occasional contributor to our Film, Gaming and Science sections, but made the mistake of telling us that he'd been making videos in his bedroom for over a decade. Since then he's been a vital member of our YouTube team and routinely sets the standard for smart-casual wear in the office.
