Question
A 2016 paper by McCoy et al. claimed that this organism’s fossils displayed arcualia, or cartilaginous vertebrae, though it has also been compared to the squid-like Nectocaris and the stem arthropod Opabinia. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this bizarre animal known only from the Mazon Creek fossil beds in Illinois. Because of its unusual anatomy, its taxonomy is still disputed, having been claimed to be a worm, mollusk, arthropod, or vertebrate.
ANSWER: Tully monster [or Tullimonstrum; or Tullimonstrum gregarium; or Tully’s monster]
[10m] If confirmed, the presence of arcualia would indicate that the Tully monster was a close relative of these basal fish that are the only living animals to have arcualia and together with the hagfishes form the living jawless fishes.
ANSWER: lampreys [or Petromyzontiformes; reject “eels”]
[10e] The Tully monster lived during the Pennsylvanian, the later part of this geologic period. The most famous fossil organisms from this period are its many giant arthropods, and it saw the formation of namesake coal beds.
ANSWER: Carboniferous
<Gerhardt Hinkle, Biology>
Summary
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