The Cambrian explosion

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/enbio.27.190.2025.21881

Abstract

The Cambrian explosion is an evolutionary radiation that took place in the early Cambrian, which began approximately 538 million years ago. It is one of the most remarkable in the history of biota, since in 10 million years most of the body plans present in the present groups of animals developed, although several of their original forms did not reach the present day. The first mineralized skeletons appeared, which facilitated the fossilization process. On the other hand, the increase of oxygen in the atmosphere promoted the growth of body structures, and global warming and rising sea levels created favorable habitats. In Cambrian sediments, such as the Burgess Shale in Canada and the Chenjiang Formation in China, countless fossils from this period were found, some of them represented in this illustration: The genera Anomalocaris (1), Tamisiocaris (2), Opabinia (3), Hallucigenia (4), Marrella (5), Pikaia (6), the class Trilobites (7), the genus Vetulicola (8), and the species Cotyledion tylodes (9) and Xianguangia sinica (10).

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Published

2025-06-26

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