Hallucigenia is almost indescribably weird. Like a bizarre mixture of caterpillar, hair roller and face-hugger, it's a creature that might as well have come from another planet. Each of its fourteen (or sometimes sixteen) legs was tipped with a pair of claws. The surface of the creature was made up of minute triangular scales and across its back were a series of spikes. Hallucigenia was such an odd creature in fact, that scientists quite literally couldn't make head nor tail of it when the first fossils were discovered. Cutting-edge 2015 research is only beginning to work out which end of the creature is which and what kind of facial features it may have had on its head. However, there is still some contention over the creatures supposed head. Many palaeontologists actually believe that the structure identified as the hallucigenias head could easily be a frequently occurring anomaly that appears during the decomposition and/or fossilisation process of the creature. That is to say, the large blob at one end of the animal may not have been there at all and scientists have simply been misinterpreting what they see in the fossils. Either way, hallucigenia is one weird looking character. Anyone expecting some sort of deep meaning to its name won't find one; it's called that for no other reason than the fact that it looks like something from a bad trip. That said, I personally get more of a Bamzooki vibe.
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.
