Opabinia The Five-Eyed Anomaly of the Cambrian Seas 3D print model

Opabinia was a bizarre and fascinating marine creature that lived during the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago. Measuring around 2–4 inches long, it had five eyes atop its head and a long, flexible proboscis ending in a claw-like structure—used to grasp prey and bring it to its backward-facing mouth. Found in the Burgess Shale fossil beds, Opabinia defied classification when first discovered and became a symbol of the strange and diverse life that flourished during the Cambrian explosion. Its alien-like body plan continues to intrigue paleontologists and evolutionary biologists today.